For the Love of a Genius
by marilyngirl
Summary: In high school Spencer Reid had a beautiful best friend named Atlanta Johnson. When she comes back into his life after years he must juggle his job and reconnecting with his friend. However it seems that Spencer is the only one at the BAU that can't see that Atlanta is interested in more than friendship. Spencer/OC Spencer Reid gets some happiness
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

 **I am only midway through this show so this isn't going to follow the TV series exactly right but its fun for me to write. I thought cute Spencer Reid needed a friend and someone who thought he was wonderful because we all do.**

She sat down next to him without saying anything. She took out a sack lunch of a backpack a crumpled brown bag. She took out a plastic bag with baby carrots and started eating them with slow snapping and crunching sounds. Spencer pushed up his glasses and looked over at her. She looked familiar to him but he couldn't remember her name. She smiled with a closed mouth and continued to eat. Spencer said nothing but stopped eating.

The girl was in his chemistry class and sat in the back of the class. She was always questioning everything the teacher said and making the class laugh. She was the kind of girl that everyone one liked (well maybe not everyone but she clique hopped). She didn't belong to one particular group. Spencer couldn't imagine what she wanted with him. Maybe she heard about the naked football field incident form last week and was just now getting around to make fun of him about it. Either way he braced himself for further humiliation.

However the girl just sat in silence and ate until the bell rang. She got up without saying a word and left.

The next day she was back again and sat right next to him.

She had box dyed black hair that was thrown up into a ponytail. She had missed some spots and brown pieces could be seen throughout. She had pale skin with rosy cheeks and a small round face that made her look like a sprite. She was very short maybe just above five feet tall but she had a lot of confidence and was the kind of person that people got out of the way for. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt even though it was the summer and a pair of cropped shorts. Her lipstick was a little too pink but she was pretty as far as girls in high school went.

'What are you doing?" He asked as she pulled out her carrots the same as the day before.

"Eating my lunch" She responded "Is that okay with you?"

"I eat over here because no one comes over here and I can be alone." Spencer said

"Do you want to be alone?" She asked looking at him curiously "Because I can go"

"Are you here to make fun of me?" He asked "Or help someone make fun of me."

"No." She said crunching on another carrot

"Okay then." He said not sure why he believed her "Then I don't mind if you stay, I'm Spencer."

"I know who you are, why I would come sit by you if I didn't know who you were?"

"Maybe you want to be alone too." He guessed and she smiled at him.

"People like me don't need to be alone." He frowned at that and was a little irritated by the remark.

"Well then why are you here?"

"I live down the street from you, you know." She said taking out half of a sandwich

"Oh." He said because he didn't know that

"Do you know my name?' She asked looking at him now not seeming very interested in her lunch.

"No I don't" He said feeling a little bad but she had never talked to him before "You are in my chemistry class"

"Yeah chemistry and advanced math." She said and he wasn't going to tell her that it wasn't called advanced math but decided against it. "Atlanta. Atlanta May Johnson." She reached her hand over to him and he shook it.

"It's nice to meet you." He said rather slowly still not sure why she was there.

"So do you want to walk home with me or not?" She asked

"What?"

"Do you want to walk home with me or not? I see you walking every day. If you like to walk by yourself I totally get it but you seem to spend a lot of time alone and if we live on the same block we might as well walk together."

"You ..." He stumbled over his words as he looked at her smiling face "Want to walk home with me?"

"Yes"

"Today?" He asked turning to face her. He asked the question in almost an accusing tone. He was not used to people being nice to him. Especially not at school.

"Well I thought if it goes okay today we might do it more often." She said and looked a little shy like she was just realizing she was being too forward.

"Why?" He asked

"I want to be friends with you." She said smiling at him again

"But why?" He asked again pushing his glasses up his nose again

"Because you're the smartest person in this school, even I can see that."

"You want to be friends with me because I'm smart?" He asked "That seems…shallow"

"Well I also heard what happened to you last week…" She hesitated as he was filled with anxiety and shame "And I thought if you had a friend that might not happen…" She shook her head "It shouldn't happen"

"You want to be friends because you pity me?" He asked again and she groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"No, maybe, I don't know." She took a long intake of breath "I need a real friend. A good friend and it seems like you need one too so I just thought I would ask…" She stood up then "If you like your high school life the way it is then just forget I asked in the first place."

She started walking away and he noticed again how pretty he thought she was in a way that wasn't immediately obvious.

"I'll wait by the tennis courts after school for a little while…In case." She turned back to say that and then nodded like she did what she came to and left without another look or a glance back.

She was by the tennis courts after school and he met her there and they walked home together. They walked home together for most days after that.

In fact they were pretty much inseparable for the rest of their high school years.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own criminal minds**

 **I should have explained my plot change before I started but I am always a day late and a dollar short. Anyway. I am working off the plot change that while Spencer was at Caltech his mom made him go to a normal high school part time as well to get him to hang out with other kids. So the high school that Atlanta met him at a high school in Pasadena. This doesn't line up with the original plot.**

Garcia was scrounging around in her purse for her keys when she came out of the BAU. Her canary yellow purse was too large and she realized for the umpteenth time that she needed to get something smaller. But the yellow and white polka dots were too adorable to get rid of. She hurried past a woman sitting on a bench without thinking much of it.

"I love your hair." The woman called to her and Garcia stopped and turned.

The woman was small in stature but the black heels at the end of her feet would make her seem a little taller. She was wearing worn light wash skinny jeans and a casual striped green and white t-shirt. Her wavy dark hair was pulled over one of her shoulders. Her face was pretty and pale and she was smiling which lit up her whole face.

"Oh!" Garcia said and stepped back to the woman. The girl was younger than she was maybe by a couple years; she might have been mid-twenties. Garcia was always a little hesitant to talk to people outside of the BAU. The cost of doing their job was that you didn't have the luxury of trusting strangers.

"I've been watching people dressed in what appears to be the same suit coming out of this building for at least thirty minutes. It's nice to see some personality."

The woman was leaning forward on a concrete bench almost on the edge like she was getting ready to run. She had a couple of plastic bags next to her with what looked to be takeout in them. Judging by the ties on the bags she hadn't eaten any. She was looking back to the door periodically nervously.

"Personality is my specialty." Garcia said walking closer to her having stopped searching for her keys.

"Are you …waiting for someone?" She asked

"Yes actually." The woman looked up at her and hesitated. "I know this is a big building but maybe you know him… his name is Spencer and he works in profiling I think. I can't be sure if this is even the right building. I went to his apartment to surprise him but he wasn't there and then I came here. This is the address I have had for emergencies but its years old and you know what? Now I am thinking that I just should have called him and that this is a really stupid idea."

Garcia smiled at the girl as she groaned and put her head in her hands "I'm rambling, I'm so sorry"

"It's alright rambling is also one of my specialties."

"I just, I don't know I guess I'm nervous to see him because it's been a long time and I didn't want to tell him in case he told me not to come" She looked up at Penelope "I'm Atlanta" She said waving her hand at her half heartedly

"Penelope." Garcia said smiling

"I'm sorry to have taken up part of your night. Thank you for indulging me." She leaned back on the bench.

"You're nervous waiting for this Spencer?" Penelope asked smiling trying not to show on her face how much she was enjoying this.

"I guess nervous is maybe the wrong word" She said

"Wait don't I know you from somewhere?" Garcia realized looking at the woman more closely

"I don't think I have ever met you before." Atlanta said now looking back

"Atlanta…Atlanta Johnson?" Garcia asked

The girl's mouth pursed into a line and she looked like a child that had been caught.

"You were on television and I saw you maybe?"

"I wrote a book."

"Yes that's what it is."

Atlanta didn't offer up any more information and she didn't look very excited that Garcia knew about her book. Instead she looked to the door of the building again.

"How do you know Reid?" She asked

The woman turned back to look at her sharply and there was glint in her eyes. Garcia was startled at first but the woman had a winning smile and as it spread over her face Garcia couldn't help but smile back.

"I didn't say anything about his last name being Reid." Atlanta smile and Garcia shook her head at herself

"No you didn't."

The girl stood up and even with her heels on she only stood about five and a half feet.

"You know him?" The woman asked her

"I may not be at liberty to say." Garcia said putting her guard up again. This girl could be some kind of psycho killer or cracked Reid groupie.

"Oh I totally get it." The girl smiled "I could be some kind of axe murdering werido and with the work that Spencer says you do here I'm sure that is entirely probable which is exactly why I should have called him and am now realizing how strange I look just sitting here."

"We do see some things" Garcia said. She turned as Hotchner and Morgan out of the building followed by Reid. They were laughing at something Reid had said or probably laughing at Reid or being himself.

"Oh my" Atlanta said "He's here, How do I look?" She asked turning to Garcia who felt a little pressured by the question.

"I'm not sure what you normally look like but from an outside point of view you look great." She said shrugging not sure if that was the right answer

"Thank you." She said brushing nonexistent dirt off her pants "It doesn't matter he's seen me in worse."

"Baby girl, did you lose your keys again?" Morgan called out to her as they got closer. It seemed as if the woman was holding her breath waiting for the group to approach them.

"Lanta?" Reid questioned pushing past Morgan to step closer

"Hey Doc" She said a letting out the breath she had been keeping in

"What…what are you doing here?" He asked with his arms to his sides and a blank expression on his face.

"I um…" She said and hesitated

"Are you okay?" He asked with sincere concern. The rest of the team just stood by as this happened "Is my mom alright?"

"Yes, yes of course Spencer, I would have called you if something was wrong."

"Then why are you here?" He asked bluntly and Garcia and Morgan winced but Atlanta seemed unfazed

"I have a client outside of town and I'll be here for about a month so I thought I would surprise you."

"You could have come to my apartment." He countered and she nodded.

"I sat there for a while but you know how good I am at waiting."

"Yeah." He said and then sat there for a little while. After minute he smiled at her and walked to her quickly and wrapped her arms around her. Everyone looked surprised given the fact that Reid didn't really like to be touched. He didn't often initiate physical contact. The woman wrapped her arms around him and pushed her face into his shoulder. After a long time she lifted her head up but Reid was still hugging her.

"Are these your Coworkers?" She asked pulling back

"Yes…" Reid pulled himself away and looked a little sheepish. "This is Hotch, Morgan and you've met Garcia."

Garcia realized that he didn't introduce them as agents. Which either meant that he was very comfortable with the woman or he didn't want her to know what they did which seemed unlikely. She shook all their hands except for Garcia who she just winked at.

"Well…" Garcia prompted Reid who looked at her "Where are your manners who is this cutie that showed up on your doorstep?"

"Well actually she showed up at the Bureau's doorstep…but I understand your point." He ran his hand through his hair "This is Atlanta my childhood friend and perhaps my only friend from my childhood other than figments of my imagination."

"And I was always much cuter than any of them." Atlanta said

"As you never saw them I'm not sure how you could know that." Reid said raising his eyebrow

"If you're going out I didn't mean to bother you." She said shaking her head at him.

"We are going to dinner." Reid said

"Well I'll just go back to your apartment then if you don't mind that I let myself in. I brought my stuff there to stay as long as it's okay."

All the others looked at Reid surprised but he looked as if it were a regular occurrence.

"I assumed that if you were here you would be staying with me." He said "are you sure you'll be okay there alone?"

Atlanta's eyebrows wrinkled together. If you didn't work in their field it would have seemed like a strange question; to be worried about someone going home alone. But it was something that they all thought about all the time.

"I think I can handle it." She said giving him a quick hug

"She brought food." Garcia pointed out "She brought food for you guys to eat together."

Atlanta looked at her and frowned almost willing her with her eyes not to make it a scene. She shook her head slightly at the Garcia. Reid's head picked up as he walked to the bags of takeout food.

"I'll just put it in the fridge and we can have it for breakfast." She said

"Thai Leftovers for breakfast?" Reid asked not sounding as if he was sure about that

"Or we can throw it away." She suggested

"Did you know that Americans waste about one hundred and sixty-five billion dollars in food per year?" He asked

"I'm so glad you told me, I was really wondering." Atlanta made fun of him but it seemed to go over his head.

"It happens to be about four times the amount of food that Africa imports every year." He finished

"Well I'll just put it in the fridge and be sure to eat everything." She replied

"Reid, invite the pretty lady out to dinner with us." Morgan said passing him and messing up his hair.

"Oh yes of course, Lanta would you like to go with us?" Reid asked still looking in the to go bags

"Like I said I don't want to impose." She said

"It's not an imposition." Hotch said to her "Any friend of Reid's is always welcome."

"Okay, well I guess I'll take this back to the apartment and meet you there then."

"It would make more sense for me to follow you and then I'll just take you." Reid said picking up the food and handing it to her.

"Great then I'll get to catch up on everything I missed." She said walking away toward her car.

"I'm not sure that the car ride will be enough time" Reid called after her. She didn't respond just smiled at him and walked off leaving them all standing outside in a group. Reid went to walk to his car and leave.

"Hold on pretty boy." Derek called. Reid turned back to look at him. He looked uncomfortable like he knew what was coming but if Morgan was going to ask there was nothing he could do.

"You never mentioned you have a friend who has your house key. Let alone a pretty one who is staying over."

Reid pursed his mouth "Whenever I move I send two copies of my house keys in the mail. One goes to my mother and one goes to Atlanta. Just in case."

He turned from them then as if that explained everything they needed to know. They were hardly satisfied with that answer but they let him go. All of them intrigued to talk to her more.

"She is pretty." Garcia said to Derek

"And that boy has no idea that she is in love with him." Morgan said walking to his car.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own criminal minds**

"This round is on me." Atlanta insisted standing up

"You really don't have to do that" Hotch said

"The lady insists." Morgan interjected and Atlanta a smiled at him

"Everyone want the same thing? She asked backing away from the table. They all nodded and she walked to the bar.

Spencer focused on his sandwich he had ordered avoiding eye contact with the rest of them. He ate a lone French fry and snuck a look at Morgan who was staring directly at him.

"Come on Reid." He said. Reid looked up at them all. Atlanta had been such a big part of his life. Up until this point the only people in his life that knew about her was his mother.

"What?" He asked

"Well tell us about her." Garcia said impatiently

"He doesn't have to." Hotch insisted "Leave him alone"

"Like Hell." Morgan said leaning in closer "Reid has a secret friend and I want to know who she is."

"What do you want to know?" Reid asked looking over to Atlanta to make sure she wasn't on her way back. She wasn't fond of when he profiled her.

"Tell us about her." Garcia said "A mysterious woman comes out of nowhere and you don't have anything to say?"

"Atlanta isn't a mysterious woman." He countered but said nothing else

"Well?" Morgan asked again

"She was physically abused by her father when she was a younger and spent three weeks a year with her mother who divorced him when she was five and left. She looks a lot like her mother and that enraged her father when he would drink. She never told her mother because she was trying to be the sort of woman of the house in her and her father's relationship. Her mother had endured some of it so to her it seemed normal. She was very socially accepted and because of the rejection by her father and that she perceived from her mom leaving she made it her goal to please all other people. She was smarter than most kids in school and had a lot of her undergrad finished by the time she graduated high school. I think it is most of the reason she became a Management Consultant. She reads people so well because she had to do it quickly as a child to survive. So she's very successful in her field. She writes books and advises companies on their employee management and speaks at seminars on workplace relationships. This, she feels vindicates her worth and she still wants to prove something to her father. "

They all stared back at him but he glanced at Atlanta who was still standing at the bar.

"Reid I think they meant tell them about what she's like." Hotch smiled sadly looking over at the woman as well "Not her profile."

"Oh." Reid said looking to the corner of his vision trying to come up with something to share about her.

"She spent a lot of time with me and my mom after we became friends when we were fifteen. She slept over a lot." He searched his brain for something that a normal person would want to know. Sorting through everything they had done together over the years. "She was named after a Bad Company song by her father…" He hesitated again "She got her MBA at Harvard while I went to school in Massachusetts. She visits my mother more often than I do. She truly loves people and believes in humanity as whole. That good will win out over evil."

"Positive attitude from someone who was abused." Hotch said

"She says I was the hero of her story. That when she met me and my mother would let her stay over that good did conquer evil." Reid said and they all smiled at him

"She doesn't like it when I profile her." Reid said "ever since I got my BA in Psychology she rolls her eyes when I try to categorize her."

"Yes she does." Atlanta said coming back with a few drinks and a bartender behind her holding the rest.

"They were asking about you." Reid defended himself

"And you filled them in on my whole life based off my childhood trauma?" She asked and Reid looked away quickly as if he were sorry but she just gave him a small smile.

"He told us you are a hopeful person." Hotch said smiling

"You have to be to be friends with a data spitting three time doctor." She nudged Spencer who shrugged and they all laughed.

"How long are you in town?" Morgan asked Atlanta

"I have conference I am speaking at this week and then a client in the same area that wants me to do a three week work up with his entire team. Three floors of employees. "She smiled drinking her beer

"So you coach people on how to work together?" Garcia asked

"I mostly remind people how to be human and tell their bosses how to make more money." She smiled. "I'm an overpaid intermediary"

"Well we are glad that you joined us this evening." Hotch said raising his glass to her

"Glad to be here thanks for letting me crash the party."

"It doesn't look like you touched anything." Reid said opening the door to his apartment.

"I didn't want to come in here and wreck your whole setup Spence." She said following behind him.

Reid's apartment was clean and organized; obsessively so. Everything had its place like a home décor catalog. His walls were a soft off-white and his furniture consisted of an oxford chair and couch. A glass table sat in the middle and books lined the walls in white built in bookcases. Reid's apartment looked like a library. Which Atlanta supposed fit him well enough. There were very few pictures. On the shelf closest to her was one of him and his mother when he was a kid and one of him and Atlanta when they took a class trip to France. She had brought him the framed picture three years ago and as always a little proud when she saw it sitting on one of his shelves.

"I appreciate the sentiment but you could have made yourself at home." He said but they both knew it was a half-truth. They played the same game every time she came. She kept her things in her bag until he got here and moved her bag to the place where he wanted it in his room. She had learned long ago that his apartment was his space and the more he could control in it the happier he was.

"Why did you leave your bag in the kitchen?" He asked. It was a little of a break in pattern for her and she searched for an explanation. Normally she put it in his bedroom doorway so that he could situate it as he wanted. Of course he would notice the change.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to sleep in the guest room" She said honestly and finally. He looked puzzled. Of course he would be. He wasn't a mind reader and human emotions weren't a great strong point of his. Atlanta always slept in his bedroom with him, it was just how it had always been. When she was a child she snuck into his window and they had shared a bed. As they grew older neither of them had thought to change it. However the last time they had been together his obliviousness to her affection for him was hard on her.

Atlanta had always been in love with Spencer.

Since she was fifteen years old. From the first time that his mom let her stay over and spencer didn't push the issue of her tear stained face and large bruise on her arm that she covered with a long sleeved pajama shirt. She loved his mannerism and his quirks. She loved that he was too smart for real life. For eight years there was only one guy for her and that was Doctor Spencer Reid. Though he didn't seem to suspect or even notice what was going on.

"If you would be more comfortable in the guest room you can certainly stay there." He said still looking at her seeking her face for an answer he would never come to on his own.

She wanted to tell him she wasn't more comfortable in the guest room. That of course she wanted to stay with him. Lying next to him for four weeks while she wished for something more was a thought that was almost unbearable.

"Guest room it is." She smiled at him positively. A brief moment of hurt flashed across his face followed by stoic understanding. He picked up her bag and took it to the guest room down the hall from his own. It too had white walls and was almost bare of all furnishings except a single bed with a white duvet cover and white pillows. There was also a lone nightstand next to the bed a lamp and a brown leather chair in the corner.

He put the bag down on the chair. They stood there for a moment in silence.

"This room is very white." She said finally

"I haven't put much thought into its decoration." He said nodding and looking around.

"Why do you have a guest bedroom?" She asked the tone of teasing in her voice

"I guess because…it's just what people do. People have guest bedrooms." He said

"Did you see that on a sitcom or soap opera?" When Reid was younger he used to take social ques and human normality from television programs which led to comical assumptions on his part. Though the guest bedroom thing had been correct.

"Hotch told me when I asked what I should do with the extra bedroom." Reid said

"Very practical." She smiled back at him "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"No, I have tomorrow and Sunday off unless an emergency case comes up." He answered "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Does a one legged duck swim in circles?" She asked rhetorically but when she looked up he seemed to be thinking about it. "Spence, stop it's just a saying."

"Pulp Fiction?" He asked hopefully

"Why is it always blood and shooting and weirdness?"

"We can watch Much Ado about Nothing after." He compromised

"You drive a hard bargain Doctor Reid."

"Even though the film grossly misrepresents the play script and leaves out important plot points."

"If you continue to slander my favorite movie I will rethink Pulp Fiction."

"I'll go make popcorn." He said walking toward the door.

"I'll get in pajamas and meet you." She said as he left the room. She closed the door so she could change and walked to her bag. She realized the three sets of pajamas she had packed were shorts and matching top sets and Reid's apartment was rather cold. Atlanta loved matching pajamas. She pulled out a blue and white vertical striped set. The top was a long sleeved button up with a pair of shorts with a single ruffle at the bottom. She changed into them and searched her bag for a hair tie. She pulled her hair up into a bun.

She came out of the room and opened the door to the smell of microwave buttered popcorn. She followed the smell to his bedroom where he was putting in a DVD into the player at the base of TV set on an entertainment center. His TV was situated across the bed and as she came around he had propped the pillows up on the floor against the bed so they could sit there. There was also a large quilt folded next to them. She sat on the floor and situated herself against one of the pillows and opened the large quilt over her bare legs.

"It's cold in here." She said

"I sleep better when it's cold." He noted "But if you are too cold I'll turn the heat on."

"No, it's alright." She said. He left as the DVD player read the disk and came back with a large bowl of popcorn. He set it down and crawled down next to her. He was wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt. His hair was rumpled like it always was and she pushed down the urge to run her hand through it. He grabbed the remote and turned the Television on mute. He situated himself so that he was crisscross next to her.

She turned to look at his tousled hair and brown eyes.

"How's my mom?" He asked. She could read the guilt all over his face. He had never truly recovered from putting her in the home she was in. He also felt bad for how little he visited her. Atlanta teased him frequently but not about his mom. Not ever.

"She's good. I think she just started trusting that I'm not spying on her after all these years." She said and he smiled at that. 'She loves all your letters and sometimes she reads them to me when she's feeling particularly generous. She's always telling me how lucky I am to be friends with you. Raving about her brilliant perfect child. I read her Shakespeare when I go and she tells me I don't read as well as you do." She laughed at the end "That you understand the words and I'm just reading them. Comes with that melancholy disposition you two share I suppose. That you understand sad things; a blessing and a curse."

He smiled and sighed. Reid loved his mom, she was one of the people that was the dearest to him.

'She's good Spence. Giving all the nursing staff hell. Smarter than anyone there of course. She misses you but understands. She spectacularly well adjusted."

"I wish I saw her more."

"I know." She said. Reid hated to visit his mother. For more reason than one but it warred with his worry for her well-being.

"Thank you." He said before turning back to the TV and pressing play on the film menu.

He set the popcorn between them and they watched the movie with Reid making statistic and analytical remarks every so often and Atlanta listening in silence so glad to be back with him.


	4. Chapter 4 (08-15 21:08:00)

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

Reid opened the door to the guest room. He peered inside seeing Atlanta sleeping. She always looked pretty when she was sleeping. Maybe because she wasn't giving him a hard time, but he thought then that she wasn't less beautiful when giving him a hard time.

"Lanta" he called softly over the room. She opened her eyes sleepily and lifted her head a little. He stood there with his head in the room as she rubbed her eyes to see him more clearly.

"I know you're and early bird Spence but I'm not even thinking of waking up for at least an hour."

"I got called into work on a case" He said "I have to go, will you be alright?"

She nodded as her head fell back on the pillow.

"I'll probably fly out today I'm not sure when I'll be back." He said and she stuck her hand out with a thumbs up.

"I have another book to work on and this cold library should do just fine for writing space . Plus, I start speaking at the conference tomorrow." She waved him away "I'll be fine, I have plenty to keep me busy."

"Okay." He said smiling. He closed the bedroom door and grabbed his shoulder bag on the way out. He reached for the handle on the front door.

"Spence wait!" She heard a muffled cry come for the guest bedroom

She came out of the bedroom and looked frantic and then relieved that he hadn't left.

"One hundred and forty-fifth Shakespeare sonnet" She said to him. He smiled thinking that she had forgotten

"It's always Shakespeare with you, I've read all the sonnets" She said

"You've read everything" She shook her head "Read it again"

"Spellbound by Emily Bronte" Reid said back to her

"I've already read that" She mocked.

They always gave each other poems to leave with when they left each other. When they read it and thought it over they would talk to each other about what they thought it meant. He turned back from the door. He walked back into the house and scanned his perfectly organized shelf and grabbed a book of Shakespeare sonnets. He held it up to her before walking to the door again.

She came up behind him and hugged him her hands wrapping around to the front of him.

"Be safe Doc." She said. He let her hug him for a second and felt the weight of the contact. Her face was pressed into his back.

He had never felt sad saying goodbye to her before. He wasn't really sad now but mostly just wished he could stay with her a little longer. He knew he couldn't though and went to remover her arms gently from around him.

"I'll be back soon."

"No rush." She shrugged and smiled "Where's the coffee in this joint?"

"Cabinet to the left of the fridge." He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. He looked back at her with her hand on the door to shut it.

Her hair was messy and part of it had escaped from her bun. Her pajamas were rumpled but she has a sleepy smile on his face that made him stop.

"Go on Doc, don't keep the others waiting, I'll be fine" She said and he realized she mistook his staring at her for concern. He nodded and without saying a word walked away hearing the door shut behind him. He recalled a line of the poem that he told her to read by Emily Bronte.

 _But a tyrant spell has bound me_

 _And I cannot, cannot go._

Reid shook the verses from his head focusing on getting to work and the case ahead.

00000000000000000000000000000000

Reid read the sonnet he had been assigned and closed his eyes laying back in his seat.

The thoughts of the murders that JJ had just briefed them on swam through his head. Pictures of women bloodless and sitting in cold bath water ricocheted across his vision and tangled with lines from the sonnet. His brain worked to separate them.

 _I hate' from hate away she threw,_

 _And saved my life, saying - 'not you._

"…organized, a man who wants to be in control." Morgan said and Reid snapped from his thoughts.

"On average one American drowns every day in a bathtub which also includes spas and hot tubs. Bathtubs are surprisingly dangerous" Spencer offered

"As they were murdered and drained of blood before placed in the tub I don't think they will add to the statistic." Hotch said quirking an eyebrow at him

They talked for several minutes about the profile and what they would do once they got to Cheyanne.

"Reid you'll set up the evidence board at the police station and JJ will stay with you, Elle you and Morgan will go to the parents of the last victim and Gideon and I will visit the crime scene"

Reid nodded at that and closed his eyes again.

"You awake over there kid?" Derek asked as he came over to sit next to Reid. The others dispersed to wait out the plane ride.

"Yeah I didn't sleep very well."

Derek laughed out loud and Reid snapped his eyes open in surprise.

"You mean you didn't get much sleep in last night?" He asked

"That's what I just said." Reid said slightly irritated that he was being made fun of.

Hotch looked at them from the corner of his eye but quickly went back to the paper he was reading.

"No my man, we said two completely different things."

"I heard through the grapevine you have a friend staying with you." JJ said from across the plane.

"I do." Spencer affirmed

"I am sorry you had to leave her so quickly." Gideon said and Reid suddenly became very uncomfortable from all the attention being placed on him. He didn't want to answer any more questions. He wanted to be left alone to contemplate Shakespeare and the unsub.

"Will we get to meet her?" JJ asked. Reid looked at her and his irritation melted away. JJ meant no harm and he knew that.

"I'll ask her when we get back home." He said smiling

"Celebration drinks when we catch this bastard." Morgan said and Reid agreed. He opened up the sonnet book again and started rereading and decoding the verses.

000000000000000000000000000000000

Three knocks on the widow followed by a pause and two more short nocks.

Spencer opened the window and looked down at the young girl and hazel golden eyes stared back. There was a gash above her left eye. Spencer couldn't tell if it was still bleeding or not.

Spencer had never been a very angry kid but the sight of any blemish on Atlanta's skin enraged a part of him that he was a little scared of. He regretted the day he had given his word to her that he wouldn't tell anyone about her father. He thought his mother suspected and that is why she was okay with Atlanta being over so often. It was her way of showing kindness to her. Spencer had begged her to trust Atlanta and though she seemed a little wary still, she never told her to leave.

He felt a little guilty that part of the reason he never told was that he was worried that someone would look into how he lived with his mother and take them away from each other. He justified it by thinking that in six months he and Atlanta would be in Massachusetts and her monster of a father could never hurt her again. He felt so helpless like a child who could only watched as atrocities unfolded.

"Hey." She said to him her voice soft and sad. His anger boiled but her voiced softened him. He pulled a stepping stool from the side of the window and lowered it down to her. Atlanta snapped it open and stepped up into the window.

"I washed your clothes" he said pointing to a drawer on her side of the bed. "I'll go get a bandage"

He left the room and went to the bathroom. He had purchased a hefty first aid kit when he had started high school. He often had to come home and bandage himself up. It had turned out that it had come in handy when he made friends with Atlanta. He grabbed it and a filled a glass with warm water and added a bit of iodized table salt to it and let it dissolve.

When he walked back into the room Atlanta hadn't finished changing and her back was to him as she pulled her t-shirt over her shoulders. Her pajama bottoms were on and he thought at first to give her some privacy and to leave. He had come too far into the room and at that particular second could not stop watching her as she turned around to reach for her pajama shirt.

"Spence" She said surprised and smiled at him. He turned around instinctually and shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"You can turn around now Doc." She said to him. She didn't look the least bit uncomfortable as she sat on the edge of his bed.

"I'm not a doctor yet Lanta." He insisted setting the first aid kit next to her and leaning over her protectively to inspect her cut. It was just above her left eyebrow and it didn't look to bad.

"Might as well be with all the fixing me up and such." She said reaching her hand up to inspect the wound. He batted her hand away.

"I'm not that kind of doctor." He shook his head

"I know genius, it's just a joke." She winced away as he reached for her face. A natural response for her but the guilt she felt was written all over her face for doing it. She then leaned closer to him and nodded for him to continue.

"I think it will bruise but it shouldn't scar." He said dipping a piece of gauze in the salt water solution and dabbing at the cut.

They sat in silence as he leaned in close over her small fame and cleaned her up and put a bandage on her. He smoothed it gently with his fingers. She leaned into his hand and looked up. His face was close to hers and her eyes met his.

"Thanks Spence." She whispered in a tone barely audible.

"Sure." He said dropping his hand and shrugging. He turned his face away and she reached up and caught his chin and turned it back to hers.

"Spencer?" His mother's voice came from down the hall "What's all that commotion about?"

"Atlanta is here Mom." He called out and Atlanta dropped her hand from his face.

"Be sure to close the window after here. They know how to spot a weakness" She said in a warning tone. He sighed and Atlanta smiled.

"I'll be sure to do that Mrs. R!" She called out "thank you for letting me come over"

"Just shut the window." The woman grumbled back

"I think she wants us to shut the window." Atlanta winked at Spencer and walked over to the window to close and lock it. "Sorry to crash here three times in a week."

"I haven't been keeping track." He said to her

"You keep track of everything Spence." She said as he walked the first aid kit and water cup out of the room.

"Yes but it seemed like a good thing to say to make you feel better." He said and she laughed. It wasn't her mocking laughter but more of a true laughter that he loved to hear.

"It was a nice thing to say."

When he came back from putting it away just where it went he found Atlanta curled up in her spot under his grey patterned comforter and grey sheets. She wasn't sleeping he could tell because Atlanta snored lightly. She would deny the fact but Spencer was the one who had been forced to get used to it. Now he hardly noticed.

He turned the lights off and got into his side of the bed.

"Did you want some water?" He asked her

"No I'm okay"

"Does your head feel any better?"

"Yeah, it does." She said and he head her shift and felt her move closer to him in the dark. They weren't touching but he could feel the warmth of her.

"Don't be worried about how much you come over here he said "I would rather have you over here than with your dad. When we leave you won't ever have to come back if you don't want."

There was silence on her end but she wasn't sleeping. She moved again and he saw he silhouette sit up and she leaned over him. She put her hand on his face for the second time that night and kissed his cheek. He was glad it was dark and she couldn't feel his face grow warm or hear his heartbeat quicken

"I don't know what I did to deserve you as my Friend Spencer Reid but I will be grateful to you and your mom forever." Words popped into his brain to reciprocate the statement but he pushed them back down.

"Night Lanta." He said instead and they both fell asleep to the sound of each other breathing.

000000000000000000000000000000000

"Reid? Reid!" Hotch called to him and it broke him out of his memory

"Right." He said grabbing his bag and moving toward the exit.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

"What I'm getting at if you haven't been listening this whole time managers is this…" Atlanta paced across the stage at the symposium "The one thing I want you to go back home with you. "

She was uncomfortable in the professional clothes she was wearing. A red high necked pencil dress with a bow on the left hip and some nude pointed leather heels. Her hair was curled and swept back into and up do with a few pieces framing her face. It wasn't a testament to her normal style but she had some trouble with people not respecting her because of her age. She also wore round framed glasses instead of her regular contacts. When she dressed like this she was taken more seriously. Humans were such picky creatures.

"For those of you doodlers who haven't been listening this is what you go home and tell your bosses that you need to change. So that they keep sending you on paid vacations where you get to drink the entire mini bar in your room and put it on the company credit card."

The audience laughed.

"The golden rule is complete bullshit" She said gesturing with her arms as more laughter proceeded

"Instead of treating your employees and or your bosses how you want to be treated start thinking about how they want to be treated. Now many of you will say 'like we didn't know that before?' but let me set you up with a personal experience before I send you out"

She walked back across the stage.

"My very best friend in the world is a brilliant, handsome Doctor. I know what you're thinking, I don't look like much but please don't tell him that in case he rethinks his position."

Laughter

"Anyway, my friend is a germophobe. Not like one of those people who carries Lysol wipes with them wherever they go but he prefers not to shake hands and is constantly aware of the statistics of sickness. The curse of being brilliant I suppose. Now me, on the other hand I could meet a sick woman on an airplane and still, shake her hand throw my arms around her and kiss her face. I have no boundary issues and I'm not smart enough to do the math on germs. Now, it would have been selfish of me to greet my friend when I first met him the same way that I want to be greeted because it makes him uncomfortable. Screw the golden rule."

She looked at the clock in the back of the room making sure she wasn't running over.

"If we spent more time thinking about how others would be most comfortable instead of ourselves our numbers in our businesses would increase. The link between our businesses success and how we perceive and think about others is monumental. No matter the business no matter the setting go home and try this, for a week and then email me if it doesn't improve your workplace and ill refund your money. "she paused for a moment "Actually please don't do that as it turns out my manager doesn't like when I say that"

More laughter

"If you missed the first part of the seminar earlier today I can forward you financial statistics on the workplace tactics I teach and how they will impact your business. My email is on the cards I left on your seat. Thank you for coming and listening to my preachy financial advice."

They all clapped for her and some shuffled out and some came to the front of room to have her sign her book or to ask her questions. The room hadn't been full which was just fine with her because she was ready to go home. When the last person came to ask about her next book release date she turned to gather her things.

"Would you mind singing my book?" Someone asked from behind her and she turned with a smile.

"Spence, what are you doing here?" She was at the bottom on the stage and he was leaning against a chair in the front row "I didn't expect you until later"

He smiled a wide rare smile.

"You're very good." He noticed "They like you and I enjoyed listening"

"I doubt I could teach you anything" She countered but he shook his head

"Actually, I may have an IQ higher than yours but you know people better than I do. They baffle me."

"They are more scared of you than you are of them Doc. Did you really come here to hear me speak?"

"I flew in today and the team wants to meet you"

"I thought I met your team" She realized that she hadn't moved from her spot and neither had he.

"Not all of them. They seem very interested in my personal life and in you." He noted

"Sounds like a regular family."

She stepped forward and he smiled at her wide again.

"What?" She asked.

"It's nice to see you." He said stepping closer.

"It's nice to see you too?"

He walked up to her and reached out his hand. She stared at it for a minute and then put her own in his and he shook it. He pulled her in close and hugged her. She was so shocked that she couldn't do much of anything. Then he kissed her cheek and pulled away and smiled.

"You've taught me something, at least about yourself." He said and walked away from her and she stared after him still shocked from the handshake and the kiss. She looked down at her hand and back up at him even though he was still walking toward the exit.

"Let's go grab some dinner." He said back to her and she hurried after him swearing at him under her breath. When she caught up with he opened the back room door for her.

"Brilliant and Handsome?" He asked as she walked through. Her voice was frozen by the question so instead she ignored it.

"Where are we going with your colleagues?"

"Evading questions is a sign of…"

"Profiling your friend's behavior is statistically proven to end poorly for you." She reminded him

"True." He said following her out "meet me back at my apartment and we will go from there."

* * *

"When Spence was a little boy what was he like?" JJ asked Atlanta who smiled at her

"Spencer Reid was never a little boy." She laughed "He only looked like one."

"He's always been this way?" Morgan asked

"As long as I've known him he has always been just as he is now."

"Was it hard to be friends with a genius?" Garcia asked her.

Spencer was in the corner of the booth drinking water looking uncomfortable.

"No" Atlanta said looking at Spencer "A little humbling. I always thought I was very smart, graduated early and had a psychology and a Master's in business from Harvard by the time I was twenty-one. When your best friend has exceeded your accomplishments by as much as he has it keeps you grounded. Reminds you that there is always someone smarter than you."

Atlanta left out the part of how Spencer had single handedly gotten through college at 17 with a doctorate all the while taking care of him and his mother. He paid the bills and cleaned and cooked, poorly, but he cooked. He was so much more than just the genius everyone saw him as. He was compassionate and kind and he had raised himself and taken care of Diana for years before it had overwhelmed him. Spencer Reid was a human among humans.

"Plus how would I know the high school statistics of my graduating class if we hadn't been friends." She insisted winking at him in the corner.

"Did you guys ever do normal stuff?" Elle asked her "I'm trying to picture Reid at a pep rally"

"Once I dragged him to a roller rink and once to a bowling alley." She remembered "Both of those were mistakes"

"Data on germs in bowling alleys is stomach-turning he piped up from the corner"

Atlanta opened her hands as if to say: _Do you see?_

"Spencer was always busy with school we didn't do much else but hang out in his room and study while he helped me with my homework, which he could have done in his sleep when he was eleven."

They all laughed for a minute and the table went comfortably quiet

"I've read your biography and a couple articles that you've published" Hotch spoke up and Atlanta's gaze shot to him

"It's rather interesting your take on financial success and the link to psychology of human treatment."

"Thank you." She said. She was proud of what she had done with her life so far.

"You should read her book." Spencer said from the corner. She looked at him surprised she hadn't known that he had read her book. "It's quite intriguing."

She didn't say anything to keep from putting him on the spot but made a mental note to ask him about her later.

"I pay him to say that." She said and smiled "Anyway enough about me; Let's talk about you guys, as I am told this is a victory dinner and drinks."

"It is." Hotch said to her

"Though all our victories come with their own sadness." Gideon said and she saw the hurt and concern in their eyes as they remembered something together. What they must have seen she could never guess. It would take a toll to come face to face with the demons of the world every day. She could see in their eyes just how heavy their spirits were. She knew Reid suffered from what he saw.

"Until Aqua man comes around and sweeps me off my feet." She raised her glass to them "To all of you real life superheroes who do things that no one knows about to keep us safe."

They all toasted glasses.

"Aqua man?" Derek asked her with a raised eyebrow

"Nothing life the fantasy of being the queen of an underwater kingdom to get a girl going." She winked at him

"Oh honey, Hallelujah." Garcia raised her glass

* * *

They were driving back from dinner. Atlanta was driving because when they were younger Spencer preferred not to. She hadn't asked him now if he liked to it was just the way that they had always done it. Though she wasn't really taking her own advice by assuming he didn't like to anymore.

"Do you like driving?" She asked and he didn't answer but continued to stare out the window deep in thought.

"Spence?" she questioned

"I'm sorry what?" He snapped out of his daze

"I asked if you like to drive." She repeated "I just assume you still don't instead of asking"

"I don't mind it like I used to." He nodded still distant

"What are you thinking about?"

"The case." He breathed out "It takes me a little while to get the faces of the victims out of my head."

"I'm surprised you can get them out at all."

"Sometimes I can't" He admitted and she wanted to pull over and hug him but decided instead to give him space and redirect the conversation.

"I didn't know that you've read my book" She stated and it was his turn to look at her surprised

"Of course I did." He said "I bought it and read it the day it came out"

"Of course you did" She laughed

"Why wouldn't I have read it?" He asked

"I don't know. I guess I…." She thought about why she had been so surprised to find out that he had read it. She searched through the emotion and feeling and realized the answer. Though it wasn't a surprise to her she wondered if she shouldn't tell him because she didn't know how he would react. She had felt the same way since they were children.

"I suppose I feel like you are a better person than me." She summarized "Like you would have no reason to read what I write."

"You think I'm better than you?" He asked sounding very confused

"Yeah, I guess I do." She nodded

"Interesting." He responded to that furrowing his brow

"Only you would say that Spencer, why is it interesting?" She asked

"I suppose because I feel the same way about you." He contemplated "I feel most of the time as if by being my friend you are doing me a favor. When you were speaking at your conference today I was surprised that you brought me up in your presentation. And not only that you brought me up but that you suggested to all those people that you were getting the better end of the arrangement in our friendship. I can understand if you were using it for comic relief but if you truly feel that way it simply amazed me."

"Oh" Was all she could say to that

The sonnet you gave me." He changed the subject "I had plenty of time to contemplate it."

"Lay it on me." She said as he started to recite it

 _Those lips that love's own hand did make_

 _Breathed forth the sound that said "I hate"_

 _To me that languished for her sake;_

 _But when she saw my woeful state,_

 _Straight in her heart did mercy come,_

 _Chiding that tongue that, ever sweet,_

 _Was used in giving gentle doom,_

 _And taught it thus anew to greet:_

" _I hate" she altered with an end_

 _That followed it as gentle day_

 _Doth follow night, who like a fiend_

 _From heav'n to hell is flown away._

" _I hate" from hate away she threw,_

 _And saved my life, saying "not you."_

"Your mom is right" She smiled "It sounds better coming from you"

"What I can't decipher is if the woman changed her mind and decided that she didn't hate him in the end moved by pity or if she never hated him to begin with and was only toying with him"

"I think perhaps she never hated him only said that she did."

"Why?" He asked

"Sometimes the people that we love most are the people that we hate most too. People that we love cause us the most pain."

"It does suggest that she is normally gentle." He agreed "Though perhaps he didn't let her finish to begin with."

"How so?" She asked

"Perhaps her intention in the beginning was to say I hate not you but all he could hear was I hate."

"Maybe so." She smiled


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

Atlanta moved about the kitchen as quick as she could. Trying to clean up behind herself as well as she was capable. She had never been much of a cleaner but Spencer's house was different. She felt like she needed to leave it just like it had been before.

She had told him to text her before he was coming home. She had gotten that text about thirty minutes ago and she was scrambling like a madman to get everything done before he got to the apartment. There was classic twenties jazz music playing and she had set the table in Spencer's very small kitchen nook. She had gone to the store to buy a table cloth because Spencer didn't have one. She bought a low bouquet of flowers for the center of the table as well.

She rushed to her room and picked up his present that she had wrapped in green paper with a white bow. She had written: _Happy Birthday Doc_ in sharpie directly on the paper. She had never been into the card scene; it seemed like a waste of paper to say something you could write with a sharpie. She set the gift by his place setting and went back into the kitchen. She opened a bottle of Zinfandel she had bought at a little wine shop she stumbled upon. She set the two wine glasses on the table.

She had just finished putting the fresh pasta in the boiling water when she heard the front door open. She wiped her hands on the checkered apron she had bought for the occasion. She was still wearing her clothes she had worn to the office she was working at. She probably looked a wreck in her tailored black and silver dress with her hair pulled up and a tomato sauce and flour stained apron. Her bare feet flew and skipped over the tile.

She heard Spencer come in and shut the door.

"What's this?" Spencer asked coming around the corner. Atlanta smiled at him in the kitchen. He leaned up against the breakfast bar.

"Birthday dinner." She said "I figured you would celebrate with your team. I didn't want to interfere with anything, so I decided to do it a day early"

He was still leaning against the counter looking at her as if he were slightly amused by her behavior.

"What are you making?" He asked now looking around curiously. He didn't flinch at the mess in the sink like she had thought he would but instead smiled as his gaze swept over the kitchen and landed on the set table.

"Fresh Pasta and Meatballs with a pre-dinner salad. A French apple tart for dessert with vanilla ice cream. I cannot take credit for dessert as I picked it up from a bakery but it does look absolutely fantastic. I've always been a better cook than a baker." She mused almost to herself

"Me too." He said making a rare joke

"Spaghetti-Os and slightly burned toast does not a cook make Doctor Reid." She shook her head at him

"You didn't complain when we were kids and I've gotten better with toast."

"I wanted to, believe me."

"Also, we have a very nice bottle of Zin from the region of Sonoma" She said using a pretentious voice

"I don't drink Lanta." He said shaking his head

"You do tonight my friend, don't ruin dinner by refusing to not have a glass of the wine I bought for you."

"If it's my birthday…" He started

"Oh let's not be silly, this birthday dinner is to fulfil my own dream of making a gourmet meal for a man and you are the only one I have in my life right now." She smiled grabbing the wine glasses and slowly pouring wine into both. She poured Spencer a half glass.

"In that case, I would hate to ruin the fantasy." He said taking the glass she handed to him. He sipped it without making a face.

"You're such a good surrogate." She patronized

"I am surprised you don't have anyone that you are involved with."

"Involved?" She almost choked on her wine

"Romantically." He explained

"I know what you meant Spence" She assured checking her pasta and trying not to make eye contact with him. Oh, to be friends with a profiler.

"My opinion of you is obviously biased but you seem normal enough."

"Normal enough." She said smiling into the boiling water "Be still my beating heart"

"That isn't what I meant."

"Well what about you Doc, no romantic relationship on the horizon?" She said shifting the focus of the conversation. He didn't respond to the question.

"JJ is pretty." She insisted as he looked up and colored a little.

"I suppose."

"Oh come on Spence." She teased

"When will dinner be ready?" He asked walking over to the table

"Evasive." She said going to drain the pasta. "In just a second take a seat and I'll get you a plate."

Spencer sat down in a seat and set his wine glass on the table. He picked up the green package and smiled at the inscription.

"I wonder what it could be." He smiled knowing

"Perhaps it's a new sweater vest." She suggested

"It's got the distinct feel of a book buy I could use a new sweater vest."

"Those words should probably never be spoken by someone who is turning twenty four." She shook her head

"I won't be dissuaded from my sweater vests."

"I wouldn't dream of trying."

He held up the present as if to ask if he could open it. She nodded at him and he carefully undid the ribbon and opened the paper as if he intended to reuse it though she knew that he would just throw it away folded up neatly. He slid the book out of the wrapping. He was extremely careful with it as if it were alive.

"The Picture of Dorian Grey." He smiled up at her. He opened the spine softly as she set a plate of salad in front of him.

"It's a first edition." He said sounding rather impressed and she was happy he was.

"To make up for the fact that it isn't a sweater vest." She prompted taking the paper from his lap and throwing it away.

While he ate his salad he thumbed through the book delicately. She watched him smile at the inked words on paper. There was little that made Spencer truly happy, books were one of those things. Classic literature would earn her double points and she had gone for Yahtzee when she had found a first edition.

"Do you like it?" She asked though she didn't need to

"Very much." He smiled. "My mom would too."

Atlanta stood up to plate their pasta. She set his in front of him and went to the kitchen for her own plate when she heard her phone ring from her bedroom.

"Hold on Spence." She said as she had been expecting a call from her manager. She hurried to the back room and picked the phone up from where it sat on her nightstand. She didn't recognize the number so she put on her professional mindset and walked out of the room as she answered the call.

"Atlanta Johnson "She said over the line

"Miss Johnson, this is Agent Aaron Hotchner"

Atlanta slowed as she approached the kitchen. Spencer had his back turned to her and didn't look as if he had waited for her to start eating.

"Agent Hotchner." She said out loud so that Spencer would hear. He did and turned around with an eyebrow raised. "How can I help you?"

"I hope I'm not interrupting your evening." He stated. His tone was always so serious and it was a little funny to her

"Not at all sir." She assured.

"I was calling actually regarding your touring schedule."

"My touring schedule?" She repeated and shot a questioning gaze at Spencer who shrugged and shook his head. The answer to her question was that he had no idea what the call was about.

"Yes I was wondering how I would go about booking your services for our unit." He said. Atlanta wasn't stunned into silence very often but she could honestly think of nothing to say. Her brains default was to make a joke.

"My schedule is a tad more flexible than Van Halen." She assured him "I don't plan for more than four or five weeks at a time unless there is a large conference that I have booked in advance."

"I was hoping after you finish you current commitments you may have time to evaluate our team" He stated so serious and professional.

"Sir if you don't mind my asking." She hesitated trying to stay in her professional mode. "What could your team hope to gain from my evaluation and expertise?"

"Our unit is always under scrutiny." Hotchner said "For the cases that we take on and the stress we endure. If there is a way that we can work together better or more efficiently I would like to know. "

Spencer's eyes had widened a little bit but he said nothing.

"I could probably recommend other consultant that would suit your field better than I would." She recommended

"My asking you to step into our team and our cases is because I trust Reid's opinion of you." He said "I wouldn't trust anyone else and you seem more than qualified."

"Okay." She said slowly

"I do have to inform you that the cases and lives of people we deal with are very graphic and violent in nature. I wouldn't want to impose anything on you that you couldn't handle. I would be expecting you to go on a couple cases with us."

"Of course."

"Why don't you take a couple days to consider the offer and maybe discuss it with Reid if you wish." He said

"That sounds fine Agent Hotchner." she said still reeling from shock

"I would be pleased to work with you but if you decide against it I will understand."

"I will call you back with my answer by tomorrow evening." She promised

"Thank you Miss Johnson, I appreciate your time."

"Thank you Agent." She said as she heard the phone click silent.

She set her phone on the counter and finished making herself a plate for dinner. Spencer let her eat in silence for a minute while she processed the call. Her head spun through all the possibilities and the credibility that consulting for and FBI unit would add to her resume. She also thought of the nightmares and horror that the team faced every day. She wondered if the pros outweighed the cons. She then looked up to the friend that may have some of the answers.

He had stopped eating his food and was instead staring at her. He wasn't smiling but instead looking at her with a serious expression of concern on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked

"Fine." She said waving a fork in the air. "Eat you food, I didn't slave over homemade pasta so that you would let it go cold."

"Speaking of homemade." As his face split into a grin "you have a substantial flour mark on your forehead."

"Spencer" She cried out mock offended "How long has it been there?"

"Since I came in." He said grinning

"You little…" She said waving her fork in a now threating manner

"It's kind of cute."

"I'm going to impale you with this fork and we will see how cute you think I am then."

"We actually had a case once where a man would take random household items and torture his victims." He added to the conversation happily "There was never a fork but a butter knife was used."

"Oh my God." She said "Eat your food, eat your food please"

They ate their food and made small conversation. Spencer helped her clean up after and they worked without either of them bringing up the phone call that she had received earlier.

"I rented Reservoir dogs." She said "Tarantino's first and equally bloody film."

"Excellent choice." He said putting a dish away in a low cabinet.

Atlanta sighed and poured the rest of Spencer's wine he hadn't finished into her own glass.

"Atlanta." Spencer said to her as she looked up in the middle of taking a long pull form her wine glass. She raised her eyebrows in response.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked

I have French apple tart." She reminded him.

"I think we should talk about it before the night is over." He suggested

"The ever sensible." She said nodding

She put her glass down and walked to the counter that held the pastry box. Beautifully thin slices of apples were stacked to look like flower blossoms inside the pastry shell. The smell of cinnamon and molasses wafted up to her nose. She took out two small plates and cut them each a generous piece and finished them with a heaping scoop of ice cream. She pulled the pack of candles out and placed a single one haphazardly into Spencer's ice cream. She walked to her purse and fished a lighter from inside its contents.

"Do you want me to sing?" She asked Spencer who was leaning against a counter in the kitchen and watching her prepare his birthday tarte. "Of course you do, you have to make a wish and the wish doesn't work if I don't sing."

"I haven't heard that particular part of the superstition." He said

"It's definitely true, ask anyone." She assured him lighting the single candle

She sang him the birthday song in an off key pitch as she handed him his plate. He blew out the candle and closed his eyes as if making a wish. Though he was just appeasing her.

She sank down to the floor and leaned against the fridge as she ate her dessert.

"So what do you think?" She asked as he folded his tall frame down to the kitchen floor.

"Hotch wants you to consult for us?" He asked and she nodded

"For a couple weeks." She explained "A couple cases"

"I doubt he would put you in the heart of any case we were working." He thought "Still, what comes across our desks can be very disturbing."

"Do you think I could handle it?" She asked

"I have no doubt you could." He said "It isn't whether you could handle it or not that I am contemplating."

"What are you thinking?" She asked

"If I could operate as well with you present." He looked as if he were deeply considering it

"Why would my presence hinder that?"

"I would be concerned about you." He looked as though he was working it through in his brain for a moment "thought I don't think it should derail my work that much. I think it would be a good opportunity for you. You won't be in any danger, Hotch wouldn't allow for that."

"So you think I should?" She asked

"If you feel comfortable. It might be nice for you to see what I do. You are after all, a profiler in your own right."

"You wouldn't feel like I was overstaying my welcome?"

"I like having you here."

"Okay Spence, as long as you are okay with it"

"I think it will be interesting to see the outcome of you interacting with everyone in a work environment. "

"Well as long as you are using this as a social experiment." She rolled her eyes "Let's go Professor, it's your birthday celebration it's a day for pasta and bloody movies"


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

"Do you want to play a game of chess?" Spencer asked her and she looked up from the notebook she had been writing in. She gazed at him through the lenses of her glasses and tried not to smile at him. She hadn't heard him come over but there he was in her little corner of the plane looking at her with a concerned face that he had been wearing since they had left the BAU.

He had been trying to casually hover next to her for the past couple hours. Despite his claim that he would be fine with her working so close while working on a case he seemed rather nervous. He had absently touched her arm twice which was a sign that he was anxious. She hadn't even tried to ease any tension he felt because she found it so endearing and funny. Back when the team had been briefed Hotch made a point of telling everyone that they would keep Atlanta out of any dangerous situations. He had directed the comment at Spencer who had nodded a slight appreciative nod. The nod left Atlanta to believe that Spencer had approached him about it.

Now looking at his face she felt a little bad for not putting his mind at ease.

"Chess?" She asked him, humor in her voice.

"I play Chess with Gideon sometimes on the plane." He explained

"If you play with him that must mean he presents you with a challenge." She said "I however would lose the game before it even began, which you know."

"I could teach you how to be better." He suggested as he grasped for some excuse to play.

"You are all the sudden taking an interest in my chess game?" She asked gently. He sighed and sat down next to her.

"You have no doubt picked up on the fact that I am feeling a bit concerned regarding your presence." He said. Gideon was reading a book and looked over at them both over his glasses.

She was suddenly very aware that everyone on the place could probably hear their conversation and found herself a little self-conscious.

"It did not escape me." She smiled at him putting her hand on his closest one. "I'll be okay Spence you guys haven't scared me away yet.

"I hope you still feel that way in a minute." Elle said from across the cabin.

"Is everyone ready?" JJ asked as she started handing out folders.

"Go do your thing Doc." She said motioning to the others. He got up and headed toward the group that was congregating together.

"Did you want the information?" JJ asked holding a folder out to Atlanta

"No." She smiled politely "I am here to observe how you guys normally interact just pretend I'm not here. The case is neither here or there, but thank you."

"Okay" JJ started "Female victims all brunette and all disposed of in dumpsters within the city limits. young and beautiful between twenty and thirty years old."

"Three bodies later and they are just now calling?" Morgan asked

"All three victims lived alone and all three filled out vacation requests so no one thought to look for them until much later. The third body wasn't even reported until this morning." JJ explained.

Atlanta watched them work. With Hotchner and Gideon being the obvious leaders of the group. Morgan was also a strong presence and if Atlanta had to guess he would move up the chain of command at some point. Elle and JJ were more subdued presences among them but not timid by any means. Then there was Spencer, or Reid she supposed she should call him because they all did. He held his own among the group and she could tell they all carried a respect for him.

Sometimes it was hard for Atlanta to do this job. When she did her analysis she was often met with resistance for the employees of the company who had hired her. Often her findings resulted in people getting fired or the hiring tree being shaken. It wasn't her intention, just a side effect of her job. People saw her as the bad guy normally.

However, this team had welcomed her easily enough. They were friendly and didn't seem concerned that she was watching. Whether it was because they were confident in her abilities or comfortable with her as a person she wasn't sure. She had never felt quite so at ease among people she was working with.

She took notes occasionally watching them all throw out theories about the murderer who they called _The Unsub_. They all listened each other and took into account what the other said. Even Morgan who usually made fun of Spencer would listen to what he had to say and nod appreciatively.

At one point they turned on a laptop and a picture of Penelope came into view. She discussed the credit card findings and if the victims were linked in any way. Atlanta wrote notes furiously so that she could pour over them later. Anything that seemed relevant to her was written down in green pen and anything she flagged as important was written in red. She highlighted and scribbled as she went and didn't even noticed when they broke apart to wait the rest of the plane ride out.

"Did we raise some major red flags?" Morgan asked sitting across from her

"Well _you_ certainly did." She said winking at him

"He's our resident trouble maker." Elle confirmed

"What can I say?" Morgan asked smiling a wide grin that Atlanta was sure turned many girls hearts to puddles.

The team went silent then as some of them looked out the windows and some looked over case files. The silence was heavy as they thought of the job ahead.

Atlanta looked up after highlighting something in pink to see Spencer looking at her over the top of a book he was reading. To watch him flip the page as soon as you could read the first few sentences was unnerving.

She winked at him and he went back to reading his book.

* * *

"Reid you're with Morgan." Hotch said as soon as they got to the police station "Check the last two crime scenes. JJ you stay here with Elle and see what the local authorities have so far, see if a press release would help or not. Miss Johnson you stay here in the station it is where we will be doing the majority of our case. Gideon and I will go visit the last victim's parents. Morgan have Garcia look up all stops on the garbage route in the city." Hotch ordered and the team splintered apart in all different directions.

Spencer looked over at Atlanta who looked happy enough to take a seat inside the police station and observe. Looking at it all through round glasses. Spencer walked past her following Morgan outside but she didn't look up from her notepad. He wondered for the hundredth time if she would be okay and then chided himself.

His fear was irrational. She was a very capable woman and Hotch had said they would keep her safe. He took a breath and allowed his brain to fly through the details of the case.

When they reached the first dump site. The local police had already bagged and tagged all of the garbage. That had been in the industrial sized trash can with the victim.

"What are you thinking Reid?" Morgan asked

"He's going out of his way to dump them here. It will have to be factored into the profile. He sexually assaults them and then intentionally dumps them into the trash."

"He's saying their garbage." Morgan agreed. "No way were the dumpsters convenient for all three."

They combed the scene for about an hour bouncing ideas back fourth.

"How are you holding up with Atlanta here?" Morgan asked

"I'm fine." Spencer brushed off the question "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Our Job is intense man, it's hard for us to bring people we love into it."

"Atlanta made her own choice to come." Reid shrugged "I encouraged her to"

"Okay well it wouldn't be unusual for you to be a little bit worried." Derek said dropping the subject and turning a corner of a building.

Spencer was worried but he had told Atlanta to come so he tried to mask the emotions coming to the surface and instead focused on the case.

* * *

"We got another one." JJ shouted outside of the conference room where they had set up. Atlanta's eyes snapped up from her pad.

"The rest of the team is meeting us there." She said motioning for her and Elle to follow her.

Atlanta's pulse quickened. It had been so safe here in the police station. Now that she was actually going to where a crime scene was it was different. The photos were one thing but an actual dead body was another.

The tram had been working the case for almost twenty four hours and hadn't gotten anywhere. It was morbid but it seemed as if they would need another killing to happen in order for them to gain any traction.

As Atlanta sat in the car trying to focus on what the ladies were saying to each other. Instead of picturing what they would find when they got there. She wrote notes down in her notebook but even she knew they were gibberish.

When they pulled up to the scene JJ escorted her through the media who hounded them all for Answers. JJ was short clear and polite. Atlanta knew she should have written it down but she was overwhelmed.

Elle took her from there into an alley where some men were pulling the woman's body from the large blue trash bin.

She was aware of Morgan, Hotch, Gideon, and Reid but she couldn't have said what they were doing.

Atlanta was hypnotized by the bruised and limp body of the pale woman. Her hair hung in her face as she was pulled out of the trash. Her eyes were open and staring clouded and blank at nothing. She was naked and there were scrapes and cuts all up her toned legs. Atlanta couldn't stop staring at the way she hung and her dead weight rested against the gurney like platform they were setting her on. Her fingernails were bloodied and torn open.

As they covered her and wheeled her past Atlanta, the stench of the alley and stale trash reached her. She fought the tears welling up in her eyes and the sour taste of throw up coming to her mouth.

This shouldn't have happened to this beautiful woman.

She continued to stare as they put her into an ambulance. When the doors closed she walked quickly away from the crime scene and turned the corner of a red brick building. She found an overhang that was the entrance to a closed business.

She closed her eyes and told herself to breathe as she practiced breathing techniques she learned in a yoga class once.

"Lanta?' A voice came from around the corner and she cursed herself for not being stronger.

"I'm fine Spencer." she called trying to get herself together before he saw her.

He stood in front of her with that same concerned face that he had on before and she realized that she had just justified him being concerned.

"It's okay." He said to her in a hushed calming tone "It's okay to be upset about it."

"I'm fine" She said again defensively. He didn't say anything but instead reached out and touched her cheek wiping off tears that she hadn't realized had escaped.

"It's okay." He said again and as she stepped closer to him he let her fall into his frame and breath for a minute.

* * *

Spencer hated school housing.

He hated his roommates and their childish pranks, jokes and conversation. He hated not being with his mother. He hated 'dorm life'. It afforded him a window into the life of the college student but he had deemed it a long time ago to be the kind of thing he abhorred.

He had a few reprieves: school, his mother and Atlanta.

He didn't see Atlanta as much as he would like because she had classes too and she worked hard to get good grades. She also worked a full time Job so they didn't see each other as often as they had back in California.

However she was supposed to come over that evening and he had been patiently waiting for her to get off her shift. Atlanta worked as a waitress at a twenty-four hour diner a few blocks from Spencer's college. She worked a lot of double shifts so that she could save money. Though she always made time for Spencer amongst her busy schedule.

He was anxious to see her because he wanted to talk to her about his mother. He had been thinking about sending her to a twenty four hour care facility. Even just thinking about it made his guilt set in. His mother's schizophrenia was getting worse and he spent more time making sure she was taking care of than he did at school. His schoolwork was starting to suffer because he had to stay with her if she was having an episode. It was getting to the point where he couldn't take care of her on his own and he wanted to talk to Atlanta about what she thought.

He heard a knock on the door to his apartment. Unfortunately, his two roommates were at home which made things harder. They would always Give Atlanta a hard time before she got to his room. He got up from his bed and opened the door to his bedroom but wasn't fast enough.

They were both at the door already.

"Oh sexy." His roommate named Robbie said. Both of his roommates were here on mediocre sport scholarships. They looked both looked and acted the part of the cliché.

"Such a pleasure to see you both." She heard Atlanta say to the both of them.

"Nice costume." Mike said to her.

Spencer knew chemically why they harassed Atlanta. She was an attractive young woman. Her face was appealingly symmetrical. She was small but her figure was curvy which appealed to the primal instinct men had to find a mate to bear children.

The 'costume' they referred to was a short nineteen-fifty style waitress uniform that she wore for her job. It was red and white striped with a small white half apron and white knee high socks. The uniform was popular with male customers. Atlanta never complained, she only said that it afforded her larger tips.

He looked up to see her push past them. Though Atlanta was his closest friend he couldn't ignore what his roommates saw when they looked at her. Even to him she was striking; with her long dark bob and curled dark eyelashes. Her lips were painted a red that matched the uniform and they were currently puckered into a frown.

"I didn't know you would be coming Gorgeous." Mike said "I could have prepared."

"I'm sure your bottle of Lubriderm will keep you busy enough." She said trying to sidestep them as they got in her way.

"You can come watch me later, if you want." He countered and she didn't say anything but a look of pure disgust came over her face.

"Atlanta." Spencer said stepping out into the living space. He had learned when trying to intervene the harassment only got worse.

"Hey Spence." She smiled then at him for the first time since she had entered the apartment. It was a small victory to Spencer that he could make her smile but they couldn't. She finally pushed past his roommates and was almost to him when Mike spoke up again.

"There is no way Brainiac there is satisfying you at night, when you get bored…" He didn't finish as Spencer saw the anger flash over Atlanta's face. She turned to face them both.

When it came to defending, Atlanta hardly ever defended herself but she always came to other people's defense. Spencer had noticed that she was viciously protective of him in particular.

"Oh I'm plenty satisfied and Spencer is twice the man you could ever hope to be" She quipped and Spencer's eyes widened. She was letting them believe that they were involved…sexually. Atlanta looked Mike up and down in a way that made him turn away subconsciously. She was attacking him and it seemed to be working

"And while you are bitching to your future romantic partners about how you could have gone pro if you wanted and everyone has to listen to your self-involved delusions all the while you are working at a shitty used car lot; I can guarantee that while you are washed up and wishing you amounted to more Spencer will be changing the world." She spat out turning back to Spencer and walking toward his room. Without turning around she added "Also, I'm seventeen so unless you want to be sued out the ass for sexual harassment of a minor don't talk to me next time I'm here."

She walked straight past Spencer into his room and he closed the door behind her. She dropped a box off on his dresser and flopped down on the bed and let out a huge sigh.

"I love people but also I hate some of them too." She said.

"That is why I mostly like being alone." Spencer nodded

"Not all people are bad." She said sitting up now. It's just that crappy small percent. Also, and more importantly, I brought us two grilled cheeses with waffle fries and two pieces of blackberry pie so we can eat and talk about whatever you got going on with your mom."

"How..." He wondered thinking back to their conversations and knowing he hadn't brought it up to her before

"Come on handsome, don't you think I know you well enough by now?"

 _No, Not all people are bad_ Spencer thought to himself grabbing the box of food and sitting next to Atlanta.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

She forced herself around the track one more time and crumpled to the side halfway through as she dry heaved into the grass.

Atlanta had made countless loops around the high school track that she had found two weeks ago. She often came there before school classes started when it was still dusk outside. She would time herself and run herself into the ground. This morning was a special kind of torture. She was trying to forget the faces that had plagued her memory from her last case with the BAU.

Every time she closed her eyes their cold lifeless faces appeared, even though they had caught the bastard that had done it.

So she got up earlier than normal and ran herself into muscle shakes.

 _Time to go_. She promised her abused body dragging herself up and to the car to go back to Spencer's. Her floral athletic pant clad legs and white tennis shoes moved at a snail's pace to the car. She was shaking from the chill of the morning air and the over strain of her body.

Yet when she closed her eyes after finally getting into the passenger seat she still saw their faces. She sighed then starting the car and turning the music up to cover her thoughts.

When she reached the apartment she climbed the stairs reluctantly and made her way to the door. When she was inside and had locked it behind her she fell onto Spencer's couch and thought about how terribly uncomfortable it was.

She woke to someone saying her name and at first it coincided with her dream as she looked across a dessert landscape. A lizard appeared to her left and said her name. It was green and its scales shone in iridescent rainbow as the sun hit it. She was bewildered for a second before she woke up into reality with Spencer crouched next to her.

His face on the same level with hers and even tilted a little to look at her better from where she was laying on couch.

"Hi." She said blinking a few times to clear her vision.

"There are studies that suggest running isn't good for your body." He said and she let out a groaning sound as she sat up.

"I smell…" She took a long whiff of the air "Bacon?" She questioned looking surprised at him.

"I made breakfast."

"You…made breakfast?" She asked "Am I still dreaming?"

"I'm not as helpless as you think." He assured her standing up as she put her head in her hands. She had a pounding headache. He stood there until she was ready to stand up as he held out his hand to pull her up.

They walked into the kitchen and she was surprised to see a waffle maker out and an organized row of bacon lined up on a baking sheet. There were grapes and slices of oranges out and she smelled a pot of Spencer's strong coffee brewing.

"Bless you good sir." She said going straight for the bacon. She picked two pieces up and stuffed them into her mouth.

Spencer rummaged in a counter and found her some ibuprofen and gave it to her. She popped it into her mouth and swallowed without water.

"Orange juice or coffee?" He asked and she raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. He poured her a cup of coffee in a large white mug with a blue lobster on it. He pulled Hershey's chocolate syrup out of the cabinet and half and half from the fridge. He mixed her coffee the way that she took it and handed it to her.

She said nothing as she sipped the coffee and watched as he made her a plate of two waffles with butter and powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of each. He handed her the plate and gestured toward the nook table. She sat down where there was a place setting. She set the plate down in front of her and continued to stare at him astounded. She didn't even take a bite of the food just watched him until he came to the table and sat across from her.

"What is it?" he asked looking up at her

"You've never made me breakfast." She said "Have you ever made breakfast? Have you ever used a waffle iron before?"

"It was a gift from Garcia." He said taking a bite of his waffle. "She said using it _wasn't rocket science_ "

"You bought chocolate syrup." She said still in a tone of awe.

He looked up at her then and just stared at her for a minute.

"Do you think all these years I haven't been paying attention?" He asked and she opened her mouth but he didn't let her say anything. "I know how you take your coffee and your waffles. I know you run to the point of exhaustion when you are trying to get rid of an image in your head. You are only surprised that I know this because you are always taking care of me. You never give me the chance to show you that I know you well enough to take care of you too."

She didn't say anything

"And I have three doctorate degrees of course I can figure out how to operate simple kitchen appliances." He sounded a little miffed with her.

"Okay." She said picking up her fork and cutting into the waffles "thank you"

He didn't respond and they ate in silence.

"We have another case." He said standing up to clear his plate. She nodded expecting that. She supposed some of the breakfast preparation was because he felt guilty about her having to go on another case.

"Okay I'll shower and be ready in thirty minutes is that okay?' She asked and he nodded. She finished her plate of food and walked up behind him.

She was hesitant to touch him because he seemed a little on edge. Spencer wasn't great at processing what he was feeling. Against her better judgment she set her plate in the sink and touched his shoulder.

"You don't have to feel bad Spence." She said softly "you're guilt isn't grounded, nothing about this is your fault."

He turned to her quickly and she realized she should have just let it go because there were signs on his face that signaled he had been offended.

"You aren't a profiler." He said shrugging and pulling away from her. "You're a consultant, so why don't you go get ready to consult for the team and stop telling me what my problems are. If I needed your opinion I would have asked for it. "

She nodded and held her hands up in surrender and made her way to her room.

Her blood was hot with anger and shame. Only Spencer could cause her to have this kind of physical reaction. She swallowed all of the comments that came to her mind to say in retaliation.

Once when she was younger she had unloaded on Spencer in response to something that touched a nerve. Something that he hadn't meant to say. Something he said while dealing with his own grief. It was one of the few moments in her life that she regretted a lot.

* * *

"Well this is nice." Atlanta said as they stepped through the front door of the care facility.

Eighteen year old Spencer said nothing only walked next to her with a fixed expression on his face.

Last week he had to put his mother in a home and she hadn't been able to pull herself away from work and school to be there when it happened. He had assured her that it was fine but he had lied. He had been upset that she couldn't be there. Though he told himself that it wasn't her fault.

Though now as she looked around the building and made positive comments about the environment and the staff his irritation with her was starting to build in his chest. He hated the place he had to put his mother in. It wasn't with him and they would never take care of her as good as he wished they would.

Atlanta bounced down the hall in her bright yellow sunflower sundress and strap on sandals. She smiled at everyone and flattered every person she came into contact with. Atlanta said _you kill more flies with honey_ and normally it didn't bother Spencer.

"I wonder if the food is decent." She wondered to no one in particular. They had gotten to his mother's room which was propped open and the sun shone through into the hallway.

"Who cares if the food is decent?" he asked her hostility dripping off his every word. She turned to him with her brows furrowed.

"Spence…" She started

"Who cares if the food is terrible or not? What do you care anyway?"

"Why are you so upset?" She asked He could tell that she was taken aback by his tone but he couldn't stop himself.

"Because I needed you to be here for me last week and you abandoned me." He said "And now you are walking around here asking ridiculous questions about the food and the nurse's uniforms. Like some sort of magnetizing force handing out handshakes and smiles. We aren't here to boost your feeling of self-worth." He said in an elevated tone he hardly ever used "I'm sorry that your father didn't love you and your mom took off but you can't just commandeer this whole visit to make yourself feel better."

She said nothing but her eyes were wide and he watched as her hands clenched into a fists at her sides. He knew he was crossing a line even for them

"Your fake happiness and cheer isn't doing anyone any god." He said finally though he had run out of steam now and was starting to feel regretful. He saw fire in her eyes as she stepped toward him so that she was inches away from his face.

"I abandon you!?" She yelled.

Her tone was not controlled and Spencer realized she could do angry better than he could. She had seen real rage in her life.

"I can't be there and hold your hand for every decision you make in your life. And I'm glad you brought my parents into this because the only reason you feel abandoned is because you are projecting your dad leaving you and your mom onto me!" She continued to shout and a couple nurses started looking at them nervously. She noticed this of course and started whispering which Spencer thought was even worse than her yelling. "How dare you say that I am abandoning you. The amount of sacrificing I have done since you came into my life doesn't even cross your mind because you are too busy being selfish and working on your next PHD."

"I'm selfish?" He asked again the anger returning after the mention of his Father touched a nerve.

"You are so wrapped up in being your mother's super genius you have no idea what a giant pain you truly are." She said and she turned to walk away from him "I'll take my fake happiness and go somewhere where I don't have to deal with your socially weird ass. Maybe I'll schmooze everyone in a coffee shop and finally feel like I deserve to be alive"

He let her go. Without saying hello to his mother and without a word to stop her. His guilt had begun to set in as he walked into his mother's room. She was sitting in a chair by the door with a book in her hands looking down at it intently.

"Hi mom." He said sitting in a chair close to the window.

"Spencer." She said smiling up at him. "I am so glad to see you."

"How are you doing?" He asked "Settling in?"

"They are all watching me Spencer." She whispered "I can't go anywhere without them waiting for the right opportunity."

He sighed and nodded at her. He pulled a poem book from his bag and for a while he read her some Hu Zhiyu who was a thirteenth century Chinese poet. She closed her eyes as he read and tried to forget the conversation he had just had with Atlanta. He wondered if she would go back home now instead of staying a couple days like they had planned. It would make sense if she did.

Would she want to see him? Ever? As the thoughts crossed his mind panic and fear came over him.

"Spencer?" His mother called to him

"Yes?" He asked snapping out of his thoughts.

"You stopped reading." She smiled

"Oh," he tried to find where he was in the page before "I'm sorry"

"Spencer?" She questioned and he looked up to her. She was smiling at him sadly.

"Yes"

His mother quoted from a book she read him when he was a boy.

 _"To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world"_

"You heard us?" he asked thinking of the book and the friendship of the little prince and the fox.

"My sweet boy," She said "Everybody heard you"

Later that night he was sitting in the hotel room reading a New Yorker that he had picked up and drinking a cup of coffee. There was a knock at the door. His heart beat faster because he knew who it was.

He had prepared his apology and defense for his action in the previous hours. He had arguments and points and many solid discussion topics. He readied himself as he walked to the door and opened it.

She was there looking up at him like she always was. Her golden eyes held so much that he couldn't remember anything he had prepared to say.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry." She said and he watched as her eyes filled up with tears.

Atlanta didn't often cry and he hated it most in the world because it made him feel like he couldn't help her. There was no amount of knowledge or fact that he could say to fix when she looked at him that way.

"It's alright. It was my fault I shouldn't have spoken to you that way." He said and she breached the threshold hugging him tightly. He held her against himself reaching up and stroking her soft brown hair.

 _To me you are unique in all the world_


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Criminal minds**

They hadn't really spoken to each other the whole trip. They were polite enough not to draw attention to each other because neither of them wanted that. So they spoke in friendly tones but they avoided one another's company.

Spencer wondered if it would have worked if his coworkers hadn't been trained to read people and pick up on their body language. Every one of them had picked up on the fact that He and Atlanta were not on the best of terms.

He had meant to apologize to her when they first landed but the case had consumed him.

A man kidnapping pre-pubescent little girls and disposing of their bodies along the local highway. When the case involved children the team was always a little more on edge than normal. The stakes seemed higher when the young and innocent were dying. Everyone was focused on catching the unsub and after a week and two dead girls there was an almost a frenzied need to catch him.

He hadn't comforted her at all during this case and only caught her staring at something in horror a couple times. She had avoided his searching gaze and seemed to be working at not giving him cause for concern. Her body language suggested she felt like she was in the way. She wanted to shrink down to be as small as possible; especially to him.

He was looking over his geographical profile when he looked up to her scribbling furiously on her notepad in the corner. She was wearing a khaki pencil skirt and a white and blue polka dot shirt was tucked into it. It was always funny to him; to see her dressed up professionally. She did it to detract attention from her age. Her glasses perched on her nose and her high heels adding maturity to her step. It was a far cry from the girl he once knew. He supposed she wasn't just a girl, any more than he was just a boy. They were grown.

Since she had come into town he had caught himself staring at her longer than necessary and lingering on the curves of her figure. When they watched movies together she leaned back behind him at awkward parts of the movie and every time he could feel every inch of her. It was something that he hadn't wanted to notice but he wrote it off to a scientific inevitability.

He knew of course that she was beautiful as she had always been. She had been in and out of relationships since he had known her. People were drawn to her looks as much as they were drawn to her charm. He wasn't naive enough to fool himself into thinking she wasn't what she was.

It was just that he had never looked at her that way before. The duration of this visit had been longer and he had gotten used to her being around. His mind dwelt on what she looked like in her pajamas making coffee in his kitchen. His blood got warm picturing her crooked half smile and the way that she winked at him casually when she couldn't say what she was thinking.

He focused on her face again and realized that she was staring at him with an eyebrow raised. He shook himself out of the feeling scolding himself for being distracted. She smiled at him. It was an apologetic smile. He had known her long enough to know the look. Her big eyes searched his for forgiveness that she didn't need to ask for. It was him who needed to apologize.

He smiled back at her and nodded slightly and she seemed to let go of a burden she had been carrying for days.

Spencer's cell rang and He reached across the table to pick it up.

"Reid, I found a familial connection." Garcia said "The mother owned a grungy old meth hotel in the eighties that has been condemned since but never torn down."

"Why didn't we see it in the initial search?" He asked

"The records were shuffled under a bunch of other owners who bought it after the Mother filed for bankruptcy and surrendered the business to the state." She explained

"What's the address?" He asked nodding at Hotch who turned to look at him. She wrote down the address and stood up "Tell Elle and Morgan to meet us there." He said before hanging up the phone.

"There's an abandon motel that his mother owned on the outskirts of town." Spencer said and Hotch nodded as Gideon got up and they all followed him out to the cars. Spencer watched as Atlanta threw on the bullet proof vest that they had given her as she followed them all out.

* * *

The car ride was silent and intense. Atlanta noted that a lot of the car rides were like this. Them all wondering if they would be too late when they got there. The anxiety that it brought to her was almost unbearable.

The added factor of the victims being children was horrendous.

The little girl's name was Millie Stell and she had watched as her parents crumbled under the grief of their child being abducted. The girl was beautiful and smiley in almost all of the pictures that Atlanta had seen. With brown curly hair and big brown eyes.

They all lived with the fear that her body would be the next one that turned up.

So she couldn't blame them for the tense car trips.

They made it to the motel in record time. It looked like something out of a horror film with boarded up windows and overgrown plants. Some of the windows had been smashed and a healthy coating of dust settled on everything. The building stood almost alone apart from a gas station and convince store down the road a bit.

They all exited the car and she looked up to see Spencer take out his gun. It was a strange sight to see him with a gun and his FBI vest.

Everyone took off in different directions to cover more ground. Hotch barked out orders to them and they broke apart into groups. She was left at the car like she was when they were entering in a dangerous situation. She leaned against the hood of the car and watched as they made their way toward the abandoned rooms.

She took that time to survey their formation and how they relied upon each other for support. The team was a family, there was no way around that. They teased and tormented each other but when it came down to it they were there for each other. It was one of the tightest knit group she had seen They all spoke their own language within the group and read each other's moods. It was truly something to behold.

She heard doors being kicked in as they hollered back and forth to each other. She sent up a silent prayer that they would find the little girl alive. She surveyed the building feeling a little useless and a little anxious but okay and confident in the team's ability.

She thought she heard a distant splash.

She walked a little to the left and saw the reflection of water up against one of the motels walls. There was an enclosed area right next to it where she supposed the pool was. She stared for minute to analyze what she saw. She heard commotion from the team which she took to meant they found something. She could see them all congregate to the back of the motel on the first floor shouting something.

She found herself being drawn to the enclosed pool area. She wondered if the Motel had been closed why there would be water in the pool at all. Her steps quickened as she unsnapped the gate. She opened it and stepped from cracked pavement onto old and worn concrete. There were discarded reclining chairs and a broken metal and glass table off the left. Weeds were overgrown all around and there were heaps of dirt that covered some areas of the concrete around the pool. She thought it would make a very good area for a melancholy photo shoot.

The strangest thing about it all was that the pool seemed to be untouched. As far as Atlanta could tell it was in perfect condition. The clear water reflected the sun as it rippled and bounced with disturbance. She stepped closer to the edge of the pool and peered into it.

"Oh my God." She whispered though she didn't mean to whisper.

In the bottom of the pool was Millie. The little girls eyes were closed and it looked like her hands and feet were tied together. She opened her mouth and then closed it.

She didn't know whether to scream out for them or not, would it alert the murderer that something was wrong? She hadn't been trained and she panicked a little bit.

She dropped her notepad to the ground and threw her purse from around her shoulders and tore off the bullet

/\\-proof vest . She threw her glasses off and without another thought dove into the pool.

Atlanta wasn't a great swimmer but it didn't matter at that point. She maneuvered around her uncomfortable clothing to get to the little girl at the bottom of the pool. She wasn't even sure how she knew what to do because swimming while holding another person was not easy. As they floated to the surface she dragged the girl's body to the stairs of the pool.

As soon as she managed to drag the girl up to the concrete she laid her out flat and rushed the two feet to her bag. She fell down next to it and felt the stinging pain of skinned knees. She fumbled around without her glasses feeling for the pocket knife she kept inside. She rushed back to the girl and cut her arms free of the duct tape that bound them. Once she sliced though it she screamed the only name she knew she could

"Reid!" It was short, loud and she knew he would hear.

She started CPR on the girl in front of her laying her arms to her sides.

"Come on little one." She said to her while she was doing compressions. "You've got some family waiting for you, don't leave us so soon." She lifted her head up and tilted back breathing into her lungs.

She heard them all come in. Spencer was first and he said her name but she couldn't respond the only thing she could do was compressions. Her arms began to tire and the girl was still unresponsive.

A gentle hand on her shoulder tugged her back.

"We can't stop" She said as the heaviness of the defeat weighed on her.

"We aren't giving up beautiful, I'm just going to step in. Take a break, you did good." She fell back and watched Derek take over CPR. She stared at the little girl and almost willed her to start breathing again.

Just when her heart told her there was no way the little girl was coming back and new tears came to her face the girl started spitting up water.

She let out a sound of relief

* * *

Spencer didn't think he had ever been so stricken with panic than when he heard Atlanta yell his name.

The unsub had tried to flee out the back of the hotel and Hotch was cuffing him asking him where Millie was. The man was just smiling up at him when Spencer heard it.

It took him half a second to turn around and run to where the voice was coming from. He heard Gideon and Morgan behind him as he came around and saw the gate to a pool area had been opened. He drew his weapon and walked though carefully.

"Lanta?" He called out and holstered his gun hastily when he saw what she was doing. All of them rushed over to surround her as she did CPR on Millie Stell. Her compressions were getting weak and shallow and her breathing was labored. Spencer looked up at Morgan who nodded and bent down over Atlanta.

"We can't stop" Atlanta argued as she looked up into Morgan's face.

"We aren't giving up beautiful, I'm just going to step in. Take a break, you did good." He said gently and the words seemed to knock her back so that Morgan could take over.

Spencer didn't move to comfort her. He only watched as her eyes were glued to the little girl's face. Her hair was stringy and wet. Her skirt was hiked up high on her thighs and her white button up clung to her figure. She was soaking wet but she didn't seem to take any notice. Her mascara was smudged giving her a slightly manic look and both her knees were skinned and bleeding. However, not for a second did her eyes stray from the girl.

Spencer felt a rush of affection for the girl sitting there disheveled with concern in her eyes. He wasn't glad that she was experiencing pain but he was happy that she could perhaps understand him a little more now. She saw the horror that he saw and now he could know that she understood if at least just a little.

Millie spit up after water and Atlanta cried out with relief crawling forward to touch her face as she started to breathe.

"We are going to get you home sweet heart." Morgan promised as Millie sat up and began to cry when she regained her faculties.

* * *

He came up to her while she was sitting on the edge of an ambulance. She was wrapped in a blanket and there were gauze bandages on her knees.

"Hey." He said sitting down next to her.

"Hey" She responded not looking at him but seeming to look out into nothing.

"How are you?" He asked touching the skin next to her knee. She waved off his concern

"The bandages are dumb I've had scraped knees before, granted it's been awhile but this is overkill."

"The girl is going to be okay." He assured.

"You can't know that." She breathed out. "Who even knows what that man did to her Spence…Who even knows?" She asked but not to him she was still staring out into nothing.

"That's the hard part." He admitted "You just have to trust that you did your best. You saved her Lanta, we saved her and now… we have to let it go."

"I'm glad I went into consulting." She said leaning against him then and he could smell the chlorine from the pool on her mixed with hints of her shampoo. "I couldn't do it."

"You did do it."

"I'm sorry." She said sighing "About before, when we were at the house I didn't mean…"

He wrapped his arms around her and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I was worried about you coming you were right, you did nothing wrong"

"It's sure good to have a friend like you." She said pulling away from him a little to look at his face.

He didn't respond to that just held her for a bit. He knew why the comment irritated him he just didn't like why it did. Because when he saw her sitting over here he had wanted to come to her and embrace her and when she looked at him he wanted to bend down and kiss her. But the thought of her rejecting the idea of their friendship being ruined kept him from pursuing the feeling. Instead she half smiled and pulled her back into his shoulder.


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

He handed her a cup of coffee which she took wordlessly and sipped. They had come home the night before and they had gone out to celebrate with the team. Atlanta had the signs of someone who had too much to drink. So when Hotch called them to come in at nine the next day she had not been as ready or chipper as she usually was. She kept blinking her eyes behind her glasses and shaking her head slightly to get rid of a fog she must have had.

Atlanta could hold her alcohol well. However because she was light and small in stature she couldn't drink as much as the rest of them but she tried to keep up. Reid winced for her as it looked as if she was suffering from a headache.

She looked put together, though if you knew her well enough you could tell something was off. Her simple black pencil dress and snakeskin high heels looked good on her, Spencer noticed though he didn't intend to. As the days went by her found it harder to ignore her absent touches and the smell of her rose and amber perfume. He willed himself not to but his body reacted to hers.

She sat in one of the chairs around the table where they were all waiting for Hotch and JJ to be briefed. Her legs crossed sipping on the coffee that he had brought her. His eyes met hers and she smiled slightly and lifted her cup in a silent thank you before winking at him as he shifted his eyes hastily to Morgan.

Morgan was watching them both with his own cup of coffee in his hands.

"Hello lovelies." Garcia said walking in quickly followed by JJ and Hotch. She sat down next to Atlanta and patted her shoulder.

"We've been called to Vegas." JJ said handing out case files.

Spencer watched as Atlanta sat up and got notably more interested. She shot a look at Spencer who tried to pretend like she wasn't looking at him. She looked at the screen and her excitement retracted as she saw the skeletons and two fresher bodies, that looked like they had been buried, popped up on the screen. She looked then like she was trying to hold back vomit.

"Five bodies found, two seem to have been decomposing for more than five years. One of them is only a week old." JJ said

"How do we know it's the same unsub?" Morgan asked and Atlanta opened her notepad and started writing setting her cup of coffee on the table.

"All the bodies were in marked graves right next to each other." JJ said.

"That seems like a pretty definite sign." Elle said looking over her files.

"The Local Henderson Police are not very happy to have us so tread lightly." Hotch warned "The newest body was a police officer that went missing a week ago. We all know how they can be about officer's being a part of the investigation." They all wordlessly agreed.

"Their hearts were removed?" Gideon asked out loud which caused everyone to look for the page he was reading.

"Internal organs make up about half of the trophies that are taken by serial killers." Spencer said looking at the pictures of the chest cavities intrigued.

"Maybe he's the wizard of Oz." Atlanta said quietly. Her comment elicited a couple chuckles.

"The plot of the Wizard of Oz revolves around the character, The Wizard, which has no power to deliver what he promises, so he would have no need of a human heart." Spencer responded.

"Of course." She said smiling and he realized she wanted to make fun of him but was trying not to detract from the meeting.

"This will also be Miss Johnson's last case with us." Hotch said

"It's been a pleasure to have you." Gideon directed at her.

Spencer frowned as he thought about Atlanta leaving after she had given them her analysis. He wondered how long she would stay and how long it would be before he saw her again. There was a worry that bloomed in his chest.

"Wheels up in thirty." Hotch said smiling as he caught Spencer's eye, which only deepened Spencer's brow furrow.

* * *

When they landed the group split up into separate sections as they always did.

Spencer and Atlanta been delegated to do a lunch run and meet everyone back at the station.

They stopped inside a sandwich shop as Atlanta read the orders of the team off to the woman behind the counter making sandwiches. It was a slow process as she had noticed that everyone at the BAU was very particular about how things were. She had no doubt that this trickled down into how they ate their lunch.

Once everything was bagged and tagged they got into the unit car that they had taken.

"I need more coffee." She realized as her energy levels dropped. She had only had coffee all day and she was starting to crash.

"I think I can make that happen." He said turning sharply down a street with little warning.

"Oh Geez, Okay." She laughed.

They pulled up to a hole in the wall coffee shop called 'Buzz'. Spencer looked like he had been there before which would explain how he had known it was there. They both got out of the car and walked into the shop.

Atlanta immediately could see why he had been so eager to get coffee at her suggestion. The walls were packed with pop culture references and obscure television posters. They had a small library in the back with a nook for reading. The music playing was instrumental and she recognized it as some of the orchestra music from Star Wars. There was a chalkboard sign at the front of the shop that mimicked the Keep calm and carry on wording but said instead "get coffee and make it so" with the star trek logo artfully drawn next to it.

'Oh geek fest" She said laughing

"This was my favorite coffee shop before I moved to Pasadena." He said and she treasure it then because he loved it.

"It looks exactly like something you would like." She noted walking slowly up to the counter.

The woman standing there waiting to take their order was about their age with two high buns on her head and a t-shirt that had a picture of Princess Leia, it was tucked into a skirt with the Tardis from doctor who printed on it. A firefly tattoo was etched onto her clavicle. She was like a walking advertisement for the comic con and Atlanta noted how cute she was.

"Do you mind if I order for you?" Spencer asked shyly and Atlanta laughed

"Go for it friend."

"I'll have two ED Latte" He said to the woman who wasn't really paying attention but was looking him up and down instead.

He was wearing his ray band glasses with his untidy hair and a cardigan that looked like it had belonged to her grandfather. Never mind that it was Vegas and it was extremely warm. He looked like a nerdy James Dean. It was one of the many reasons that she loved him.

The girl behind the counter had decided that she also liked what she saw.

"I like your shirt." Spencer said appreciatively.

"You like Star Wars?" She asked now twirling a strand of grey costume jewelry beads around her fingers as she leaned forward on the counter.

"I enjoyed the originals as well as the new prequels." Spencer nodded

"Would you be a Jedi or a Sith?" She asked voice getting sweeter all the time and Atlanta felt the pull of irritation in the pit of her stomach. She arched an eyebrow as she stared at the woman.

"I haven't really given it much thought." Spencer said thoughtfully "When I was a child of course I always imagined I was a Jedi"

"We are having a showing here tomorrow night of all three originals." She said to him "I could use a date."

Atlanta was as surprised as Spencer's face looked.

"I will most likely be working." He said honestly.

"I could hold a private showing at my house later, when you get off." She winked at him.

"Could we get our coffee?" Atlanta stepped closer and inserted bluntly. Heat radiated through her whole body and she no longer thought the girl was cute.

The girl shot her a look that was half amused and half anger at being interrupted. She smiled again at Spencer and walked behind the espresso bar to make their drinks. She kept glancing up at Spencer. Atlanta looked around the coffee shop to keep from showing any more signs of jealously.

She tried to talk herself into a state of calm. She felt a little guilty for snapping at the girl and she avoided Spencer's eyes as she didn't want to see him profiling her behavior.

* * *

"Could we get our coffee?" Atlanta said in a strict tone. Spencer looked at her surprised as the girl started making their coffee.

He looked at Atlanta and watched as she eyed the girl walking to the espresso machine. Her cheeks were a little flushed and she looked a little bothered. Spencer could think of no reason she would be mad unless she was jealous of the attention the girl had been giving Spencer.

He wasn't used to girls flirting with him and the woman hadn't been shy about her interest. He smiled a little as Atlanta turned from him avoiding his gaze. He wasn't sure why she would be jealous but he wanted to test the theory before he decided on it.

When the girl came back over with their drinks he saw his opportunity. On one of the white cups there was a phone number written in black permanent marker on the side. He slid his glassed up onto his head and reached for the opposite cup.

"This one's for you." She said putting the cup with the number into his hand. He quickly looked Atlanta who was pursing her lips together and rolling her eyes. It was textbook behavior. She locked eyes with him and paled a little.

When they reached the station they handed out lunch and Morgan immediately noticed the number written on his coffee cup.

"Casanova." Morgan said bumping his shoulder.

"She was cute too." Atlanta piped in now seeming as if she had gotten over it. Elle let out a low whistle. And the others gave him a bit of a hard time before they jumped right into the case.

* * *

Hotch had let Atlanta and him go for a couple hours to visit his mother. When they got to the care facility Spencer paled a little and Atlanta patted his knee. Walking in always reminded him of the hospital and things that he hated.

"She's going to be so excited to see you." She assured him

"I know." He said nodding as they checked in at the front desk and made their way to the common room where the nurse said she was.

"Hey Diana" Atlanta greeted her as they got close to a white table where Diana was doing a crossword puzzle.

"Spencer, Atlanta." She said pleasantly and Spencer could tell that she was having one of her better days.

"What are you doing here?" She asked

"Spencer is on a case and I'm consulting with the bureau" Atlanta answered her

"Of course I know that." She said smiling "Spencer mentioned in his letter that you were working cases with them. Spencer, be a doll and go get my meds for me would you?" She asked him and he nodded as Diana stood up. They started walking to Diana's room as Spencer walked to the Pharmacy inside the building.

When he had gotten her little Dixie cup full of pills he walked to his mother's room and stopped outside to listen to his mom and Atlanta talk. He loved to hear their voices back and forth and he loved the patience that Atlanta had with his mom.

"He's happier when you're around. All he does is tell me all about what you guys are doing since you came into town. Diana Said.

"I've been living in his house for months, it's hard for him to ignore me." Atlanta said back "I'm sure he'll realize he is sick of me soon enough.

"It's more than that." Diana said "You think because I'm crazy and locked up here I can't play meddling mother." Diana asked

"I wouldn't put anything past you Diana."

"A mother always hopes that her son will marry a woman that is worthy of him" Diana paused "No woman is worthy of Spencer but you are special to him"

"That almost sounded like a compliment" Atlanta chuckled "But not"

"A mother can hope."

"I'll tell you a secret Diana but you mustn't tell anyone." Atlanta said in a quieter tone

"What is it?"

'I am in love with your son." Atlanta said matter-of-factly and Spencer didn't hear any hesitation in her voice.

Spencer stepped away from the door by a half a step and stared at the floor intently. His breath came in shorter than he was used to as he processed the conversation and Atlanta's words.

"Oh dear, that's not a secret. I've known that since Spencer was seventeen."

Atlanta laughed out loud "Okay Yenta, read some poetry maybe?"

"As long as Spencer does the reading because you are dreadful." Diana said her voice very serious.

"There really is no pleasing you." Atlanta said and Spencer shook his surprise off realizing they would expect him to be coming back soon. He walked through the door and put on a smile as he was still overwhelmed. He handed the cup to his mom.

"Your mother insists that you read because I don't have what it takes." Atlanta smiled easily. He realized she didn't know that he had heard her. He would usually ask her what to do in this kind of situation but he didn't know who to ask just then.

"Spencer?" Diana called reaching him through the fog of his thoughts.

"Atlanta reads Shakespeare very well." Spencer said "you should have her read some Shakespeare."

He wasn't sure he could read and focus and his mother would have been able to tell. Atlanta met his eyes and furrowed her brow in a question but he only smiled in response.

"Very Well." Diana said defeated. "But a comedy not a tragedy"


	11. Chapter 11

**I Do Not Own Criminal Minds**

He had been being weird the entire time they were in Vegas. He had been avoiding eye contact and had barley said more than a few words to her since they had got back from visiting Diana. When she tried to meet his gaze or make conversation with him he looked at her with a blank expression and gave her a short answer. He seemed almost nervous.

She sat in the car as the team cleared a house that they thought the killer was living in going over her notes from this case and deciding how she was going to organize it when she got home. Since her last case she was uncomfortable getting out of the car when the rest of the team.

She had her highlighters as she made notes and scribblings.

She looked out the tinted dark windows of the SUV to see two medics going into the house. She put her things on the seat and got out of the car, concerned. She stood holding her breath waiting for the team to come out.

Spencer stepped out of the house with his gun holstered and his hands in his pockets. Atlanta let out a pent up breath as the medics came out with a man that they had put on a stretcher. Though her relief was mostly from seeing Spencer safe and out of hard she still counted the heads of the other team members. She had grown very fond of all of them and was constantly worried about their safety.

She got back in the car as too not seem too worried. She stared again with her highlighters after sending Penelope a text telling her that everyone was okay and that they were coming home. She answered with several hearts. She waited for them all to get back into the car. Morgan and Elle got into the car and started talking about the shot that the killer has sustained from Hotch after he came after Spencer.

It did not escape her notice that Spencer had ridden with them on the way there but he wasn't with them now. She didn't say anything about it only kept silent in the back and gave Morgan a wink when he looked back at her in the rear view mirror.

* * *

"You getting tired of having a house mate?" Morgan asked Spencer stepping up to him.

They were waiting for the plane to be ready for them to board. Spencer glanced over to Atlanta who was laughing with JJ. She had her notepad in front of her and her smile spread across her face and made her small dimples. She was wearing jeans and a gold and black blazer. She had put on her contacts and was wearing flats so she looked more like the girl he knew.

"What do you mean?" He asked not looking at him

"Come on Reid, you've been avoiding her for two days now and it isn't for her lack of trying."

He didn't answer him. Working with Profilers you couldn't lie and Spencer had never been very good at lying so he didn't try now. He just glanced at Atlanta again hearing her words 'I'm in love with your son' over and over again in his head.

"You have been looking at her a lot." Morgan went on without Spencer responding "So maybe it's not that you are getting tired of her being here"

"You've had lots of experience with girls" Spencer noted turning to him then. Morgan smiled at him.

"Oh you want advice?" He asked

"Morgan" Spencer said slowly "If you profiled Atlanta and My relationship what do yu see?"

"Reid, I don't think I should…" Morgan protested

"Please Morgan." Spencer said seriously "I realize that I am too close to accurately evaluate"

Morgan looked at spencer through his mirrored glasses. "I think you two have been through a lot together"

"What do you profile about the nature of our relationship?" Spencer asked

"Reid why are you asking this?"

"I missed something" Spencer admitted "Something I should have seen and I'm just trying to figure out how I missed it"

"She loves you." Morgan said and Spencer looked up at him wide eyes but accepting of the words

"How could I have missed it?" Spencer said puzzled

"Maybe there is something that was blocking your ability" Morgan suggested "Sometimes our perception of how things are keeps us from seeing how things change"

"How long have you been able to tell?" Spencer wondered aloud now looking over at the two girls. Atlanta looked up at him smiled and waved; Spencer smiled back.

"Are you going to tell her?" Morgan asked

"Tell her." Spencer echoed

"That you love her." Morgan said punching his shoulder before walking to the plane

"That I love her."

* * *

"I got a Job at the Behavioral analysis unit" He said over the phone

"That's great Spence" She said twirling the cord of her bedroom phone that she had since she was a child. It was currently located in the kitchen.

"Babe" Scott called from her apartment living room

"Talking to Spencer!" She called and heard grumbling from the room. She had it on her list to break up with Scott but he was an okay guy and she didn't really have a reason to break up with him other than who she spent most of the time on the phone with.

"What is the Unit of behavior?" She asked

"The BAU is a division of the FBI that specializes in analyzing the behavior of criminals"

"Yeah I'm going to need more than that"

"We think like criminals by interviewing serial killers essentially. There is a lot of information and research…"

"Interviewing serial killers?" She said incredulously "Jesus Spence."

"I'm the youngest member of the team"

"I imagine you are." She smiled "One day you're going to rule the world"

"The actual…"

"Joke, Joke Spence Joke" She said laughing "Are you excited?"

"The prospect of being a part of this team is interesting and the idea of getting to interview the mind of serial killers is very appealing"

"Of course." She said "Is there field work involved?"

"Yes I will be in the field most of the time, it involves solving open cases that local authorities can't handle"

Atlanta started twirling the cord tighter and tighter around her fingers. She had secretly hoped that when Spencer got out of the academy he would find a job sitting behind a desk running numbers. Or figuring out some impossible case from the comfort of the computer screen. She somehow knew that he would try do something else.

"Babe" Scott called again

"Hold on" She said back

"It's okay" Spencer said over the phone and there was a little panic in her like there always was when they were saying goodbye.

"Well I wish you would be careful because I would hate to have to find a new best friend." She said

"I'll try to stay out of trouble for your sake."

She could hear the smile in his voice and it made her miss him.

"I'll come visit soon." She promised

"Tell my mom I said hi."

"I will love, Miss you love you see you soon."

"Miss you, Love you, and see you soon."

It was there goodbye jingle and she sighed as she heard the line go dead.

She slowly walked into the living room where she watched Scott put his shoes on and put on his coat. She didn't say anything to stop him even though they hadn't watched the movie they had been planning on.

He looked up and her and pursed his lips and she smiled sadly nodding.

"I could stay?" He questioned her and she just shook her head slowly.

"Listen Scott you're a really nice guy and very attractive and I like to look at you and talk to you." She started and he started laughing at her. His brown eyes met hers and he looked like he actually thought what she was doing was funny.

"It's been fun Atlanta, it really has and you're great" He said passing her to get through to the door. "I think that if you talked to me the way that you talked to that guy on the phone I would feel like the only person in the world."

"Spencer…" She petered off before coming to the conclusion "Is kind of the only person in the world…to me."

She realized that it wasn't fair of her to say that to him after they had been dating for four months. She covered her mouth with her fingers and met his gaze. He was just smiling which made it worse because she was being rude and he was still being nice to her.

"I can tell"

And that is all he said before he headed out the door and she never saw him again.

So she sat down on her couch ate the bowl of popcorn that she popped for them both and sat and watched the movie by herself; missing her best friend.

* * *

When they all got in it was late. They all decided to go eat at a twenty four hour diner at two in the morning before everyone went home. They all toasted milk shakes and sodas to Atlanta's last case and talked about their favorite moment for the past four weeks.

Atlanta sat next to Spencer and dipped her French fries in his chocolate malt and laughed with the rest of the team. It was a delirious kind of tired and happy that they all experienced after a case when they got in late. Eating together and giving each other a hard time. Spencer thought that he would Miss having Atlanta here.

Hotch picked up the tab like he always did when they were done and they all lingered talking and hugging and telling each other they would see each other the next day.

Spencer and Atlanta were the last ones out because Spencer was reading an old movie poster that the diner had hanging up on the wall. Atlanta stood behind him as he read the fine print faster than anyone else could. He turned and nodded at her as they both left the diner in silence.

They walked to the car quietly and Atlanta jumped up and sat on the back of the car looking up to him.

"Alright man, what's going on?" She said decidedly

"What are you referring to?" He asked stopping in front of her and stepping closer

"I am referring to the fact that you have hardly said two words to me this whole case and you are avoiding me."

"Oh, that" He said

"That "She smiled "What is it? Is it about your mom? Is it something with the case?" Have I done something?" She questioned

"Maybe we should talk at home…" he suggested

"I'm comfortable here"

"Okay" he said stepping a little closer to her

"Now that the cases are over I'll be leaving soon" She smiled up at him and he resisted the urge to lean forward and kiss her without explanation. "I'll be out of your hair, you can have your own space back."

"That's not it." He said stepping closer so he was only inches away from her

"What is it then Spence?" She asked in a lower tone

"It's just that." He stopped and tried to think of the right words to say "that I overheard you talking to my mom when we visited her."

Her eyes went wide as she nodded and he noticed her pale a little. "Oh"

"And I just wasn't sure how…" He stepped even closer and she just continued to watch him with her big golden eyes "to talk to you without saying something wrong"

"Oh." She said again "Spence listen …" She said seeming to regain herself

"Now I'm going to talk and I need you to just listen even though I may ramble." He interrupted

"Okay" She whispered

"I didn't say anything at first because it didn't make any sense to me…what you said. How could you love me? I'm so strange and odd and obtuse and you're so" He stopped and stared at her just looking up at him as he tried to think of the words to say "You're so charming and lovely and so…yourself that it doesn't make sense to my brain that you could be in love with me. "

"I'm sure you've run the numbers" She smiled and then made a silencing sign across her mouth as she nodded for him to continue.

"I mean I've got problems with regular life and you thrive on life" He tried again "So when I heard you say that…that…you love me" He took the final small step toward her "I thought it couldn't be true." He reached out and ran his thumb along her jaw line.

"Is it true?" He asked quietly "what you said to my mom?"

"Yeah Spence" She responded shakily "It's true, I'm in love with you." She said closing her eyes and leaning into his hand "Not like love you at the end of a phone call but like I'm in love with you. I have been" She sighed "for a long time"

"Why haven't you ever said anything?" He asked as she looked up at him

"The same reason you couldn't believe that I did, why would you ever be in love with me."

There wasn't a definite one of them that leaned in. Their mouths met slowly at first and both of Spencer's hands went to Atlanta's face. He pulled back for a minute and she looked at him a little self-consciously as he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. He leaned in first the second time and kissed her like he had wanted to for the past weeks and Atlanta grabbed spencer's blazer and pulled him closer.


	12. Chapter 12

**I Do not own Criminal Minds**

Callie was in love.

She was in love with the most wonderful man in the entire world. A man who loved her unconditionally despite her imperfections. She couldn't believe how favored she was by the saints above.

He was handsome and exceptionally smart. He was prominent in the FBI and one day would make a very good living for their family which included their future children. He worked hard so that one day they would be comfortable together.

Their separation was only a temporary situation and both of their hearts didn't mind the distance or the time apart. They had a love that was built to last.

Her love was dedicated to her and he prized her above all others.

Which is why his indiscretion had been so concerning. She knew of course that he was human and prone to temptation but seeing he with the _other woman_ had been such a betrayal of trust it had almost driven her mad.

She had watched his demise as the girl he called Atlanta had seduced him into sin. She had the audacity to stay in his home, to dress like a streetwalker and hang all over him as if he belonged to her. Watching them together had been nearly unbearable as Callie's heart was broken into a million pieces.

She recalled when they first met at one of the FBI seminars. He was so handsome and equally as nervous as he gave a talk in front of nearly a thousand people. He got up on stage and made jokes that fell on ears that could never understand him the way she did. She had stood in her volunteer uniform mesmerized by his hazel eyes and hesitant smile.

Finally when he had come down the stairs to grab a glass of water from her he said thank you and their eyes met and she had known that they both felt the same thing. He hadn't said anything else to her but he hadn't had to. She knew that they both felt the romantic connection in their soul. Their chemistry was undeniable. They were soulmates.

The woman coming between them was just a test of their love. To see if they could make it in this cruel and awful world. She was nothing more than a bump in the road of their relationship.

She looked in the backseat where the other woman was slumped in the backseat. She had struggled a little but the anesthetic had done its work quickly and she was small and had taken well to the drug. She was incapacitated not and Callie would keep her until Spencer realized that she was being used by the hand of Satan.

He had even gone so far as to kiss her knowing that Callie would be hurt by it. It had been the last straw.

He would have to answer for his lapse in judgment.

* * *

They hadn't talked about it much. They had sat in silence on the drive home though Spencer had entwined his fingers with hers. They had both been dead tired when they got back to the apartment. Spencer gave Atlanta a small kiss and an awkward goodnight before they split up and gone to their separate rooms. Atlanta didn't know if she was going to be able to sleep but as soon as she slipped under the duvet cover she passed out.

When she woke up she trudged out to the kitchen at ten in the morning and found a note that Spencer wrote her saying that he was going into work but that he would be home that night and would she want to go out to dinner. She smiled at his small and precise script before she had gone to take a shower.

She had tried all day to organize her notes from working with the BAU but her mind kept drifting to Spencer and she wasn't getting anything done. So she decided to turn off her computer and go for a quick run before jumping into it again.

She had run to the point of exhaustion hoping it would help her focus. She pulled back into Spencer's apartment at around one in the afternoon.

She sat in her front seat for a few minutes closing her eyes and replaying their kiss for the hundredth time. Her stomach still welled with warmth at the thought; though a good twelve hours had passed. She felt like it was so long coming and she could hardly believe that it had happened.

She finally got out of the car determined to get some work done. She headed up the stairs and down the hallway of doors. She passed a tall pear shaped blond woman who was searching her purse frantically and muttering curses to herself.

She stopped at Spencer's door and pulled her keys out looking at the woman who was now pulling her phone out. She stared at the screen and made a loud sighing sound. Atlanta went to put her key in the door but couldn't help calling out to the lady.

"Are you alright?" She asked. The woman looked up at her with a round face and a port wine stain on part of her bottom lip and chin the size of a lemon slice. She was wearing plain clothes that covered most of her form and a rosary around her neck of gold and black beads. Her eyes were kind and soft and looked more than a little sad.

"I can't get into my apartment." The woman explained "I lost my keys and my phone is dead so I can't call anyone"

"One of those days huh?" Atlanta asked turning the key in the door "You can come in and use my phone if you want." She offered opening the door to the apartment and smiling at her.

"I wouldn't want to impose." She said but she stepped toward Atlanta

"Not at all, come on in."

She held the door open as the woman stepped past her into the living room. She shut the door behind her and set her purse down on the couch.

"I'm Atlanta" She said smiling and holding her hand out to the girl.

"I'm Callie" She said but look at Atlanta's hand disgusted. Atlanta dropped her hand shrugging.

"it's a pleasure to meet a neighbor." She said smiling at her

"You live here?" The woman asked and there was a strange strain to her voice

"Well no, I only sleep in the guest room." Atlanta chuckled "The apartment belongs to my friend; I have just imposed myself on him too long."

"So you're just a guest and Your friend is just a friend" She sounded relieved

"Yes "Atlanta said looking up at her strangely. "Let me get my phone"

"You know, I would like to believe you" The woman started as Atlanta searched through her purse for her phone "except I saw the two of you embracing in the diner parking lot."

Atlanta froze as her heart rate increased. Her hand came out of her purse slowly as her blood ran cold. She couldn't think of anything to say and as she turned her head to looked up She was struck with a heavy object.

She fell down the floor as her vision flickered.

"His house is exactly what I pictured it to be like" The woman said. Atlanta struggled to her feet though her head was pounding. She gripped the edge of the couch and let out a groan.

"He's just absolutely the most perfect man in the world." Callie continued. Atlanta held still and tried to focus with one eye because one of her contacts had gone askew. The woman was looking around at the apartment. She took a deep breath and used all her energy to stand up. She barely made it. She was tiered from her run and the blow to the head had been quick and hard. She swayed a little.

"Little Jezebel, you should really relax." The woman said, and Atlanta launched herself at her. There was a small struggle and a side table was knocked over. However, Atlanta didn't have the strength to fight the woman off with her head swimming. She lay on the ground trying to get up when she felt a tight pinch in her neck. Then the room went dark.

* * *

He had tried to call her several times, but she hadn't picked up. It generally wasn't cause for worry but with Spencer's job; it caused him to worry. When he pulled into the parking lot he was relieved to see her car. He got out and walked up his stairs to his door.

He turned his key in the lock and opened the door quickly but found that the door was unlocked.

"Atlanta" He called out as he took his key out of the door. He entered slowly and tried to fight the panic that overwhelmed him. One of his living room side tables had been knocked over. Its minimal contents had been spilled on the floor. He ran to Atlanta's room to see her things strewn about in a haphazard way.

Her purse and keys were still there but her phone was gone. He thought she had gone on a run but her headphones and the iPod like device was set on the back of the couch. He tried to think of any other situation beside an awful one that could have happened.

But that's when he noticed it. The note on the fridge held up by a magnet that Atlanta had got him from Hawaii. It was a cartoon wave with a smile and the phrase 'sea you real soon' on it.

The note was scrawled in loopy feminine writing. It wasn't Atlanta's nearly illegible messy scrawl so he approached with hesitancy.

Once she is gone we can be together my love

-CF

He looked over everything with an eye for crime scenes as the terror of what could have happened made him want to vomit. He dialed a number on his cell phone.

"Hotch I think that Atlanta has been…taken"


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not criminal minds.**

 **Goodness sorry this one took la long time I took a bit of a break.**

She woke up groggy. Shel felt like she had when she had her tonsils out when she was a kid. A little groggy and out of sorts. It was as if her vision was her looking through a fish tank. She remembered than how Spencer had taken care of her when she got her tonsils removed and made sure she took her antibiotics and pain medication when she was supposed to. He made her protein powder smoothies which hadn't been fantastic but she had appreciated them anyway.

She moved to sit up and take in her surroundings. She was in a small room with only a dresser and a bed. There was a simple wooden chair next to the bed facing her. Her mind was still fuzzy and she tried to make sense of everything she saw. She was leaned back on her hands blinking away the grogginess when she heard the door to the bedroom lock.

A sense of dread and fear washed over her as body reminded her what had happened. The woman with the blond woman came through the door carrying a tray of food. She smiled a friendly smile at Atlanta who instinctively jerked away from her. She then realized her feet were restrained to the foot of the bed and she could not move them.

Her throat tightened with a heavy panic as the smile was still plastered on the girls face. She came closer and Atlanta leaned as far away from her as she could.

"Who are you?" She asked and even she could hear the stress in her own voice as the question came out more as a scream

"I'm surprised Spencer never mentioned me." She said calmly which only added to Atlanta's anxiety. The question seemed to irritate the girl and in the sane part of Atlanta's brain she took note of that. She wasn't sure what the woman was suffering from but she didn't want to irritate you.

"I'm sure he has." She said trying to look a bit more relaxed though she felt like a trapped animal "But haven't had the pleasure of knowing your name"

"Callie" She said setting the tray on the bed.

"Oh yes, Callie" Atlanta forced herself to recall the name with familiarity. The woman looked up at her and the relief and gladness was visible.

"I knew he would have mentioned me."

"Of course." Atlanta assured her

"I brought you some food in case you are hungry." Callie said smiling again.

Atlanta peered at the tray of food which was a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich with the crust cut off and a prepackaged jello. There was a small cup with two pills on the tray as well with a glass of ice water.

She was afraid to eat the food presented to her but she knew how dangerous angering someone with a mental condition could be. The woman seemed amiable to Atlanta living at the moment but the tides could change in the blink of an eye.

"That was extremely thoughtful." Atlanta scooted closer to the tray though her body rejected the idea. She picked up the sandwich and took a hesitant bite and the girl smiled.

"Raspberry jam." Atlanta smiled around a mouthful of food.

"Spencer favorite." Callie chimed

"Yes…" Atlanta said nodding creeped out "It is his favorite"

"I know all of Spencer's favorites" Callie assured her and to avoid saying anything wrong Atlanta just smiled and nodded. She tried to recall what the woman had said when she abducted her. Something about Spencer's apartment and how Spencer was the perfect man…she recalled her calling her something unpleasant.

"Callie," She asked hesitantly "What am I doing here, if you don't mind such an imposing question"

"Ah, little Jezebel" Callie said leaning forward and stroking Atlanta's cheek. "You are just here for safe keeping until me prince comes to see that it is time for him and me to be together."

"Spencer?" She asked and Callie nodded approvingly

"And when he does…" Atlanta questioned "Realize that it's time…" She hesitated again looking at the girl "What will happen to me?"

"I'm afraid we must follow the commandments of the scriptures and treat you as an adulteress" She was still stroking Atlanta's cheek when she said it.

"You're going to stone me?" She asked trying to keep her voice even as the panic set back in

"Oh no," Callie said and Atlanta let out a breath "that simply isn't humane" The panic rose again like a roller coaster.

"I hope you understand." Callie said.

Atlanta looked up at her and felt mostly pity for her. She was a pretty woman tall with long blond hair and a friendly round face. Under different circumstances Atlanta would find her quite beautiful.

"Are you in love with Spencer?" She asked instead of giving the woman permission to murder her.

"We are soulmates" Callie demanded as her tone escalated and Atlanta flinched away "Your whoring around with him wont tear us apart no matter what your plans might be."

"Whoring?" Atlanta questioned without thinking.

Callie moved in closer to Atlanta and leaned in. There was true anger in her gaze. "What would you call sleeping with a man who is promised to another woman?"

"I didn't sleep with Spencer." Atlanta said not avoiding the girl's gaze but staring directly at her.

"I have seen your adulteries and your lustful neighing, the lewdness of your harlotry, your abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?" She quoted and Atlanta wasn't sure but she assumed it to be scripture. "If a man only thinks of a woman in lust it is adultery." She was shouting in Atlanta's face at this point. "I saw you both in that parking lot do not deny it!"

Atlanta just nodded at the woman as she went off. She realized that she must have been stalking Spencer for some time and believed them to be in love.

"Of course." She said in a soothing tone "of course I understand"

Callie however was not looking as if she was going to calm down. She rushed out of the room and Atlanta heard her fumble around for a moment. She took the time to lift the blanket up and see that her feet were very secured with a thick rope expertly woven into knots and tied to the metal bedposts. Callie returned in a moment with a syringe and full of liquid and Atlanta moved as far away from her as she could given the restraints.

"Please" Atlanta pleaded with her but with a decent amount of strength she climbed on top of Atlanta as she thrashed around trying to avoid whatever was in the needle. The woman pinned Atlanta's small from down against the bed. And stuck the needle into her draining the contents. She sat on top of her for a while as Atlanta felt the fight go out of her.

Finally Callie got off and Atlanta followed her with her eyes as best she could. Callie came over to her side and adjusted the pillow under her head and pulled the blankets up over her from where they had fallen off. She leaned in close.

"How did it feel?" Callie whispered into her ear as the drugs took hold of her "To kiss him?"

Callie leaned over her face and placed her mouth on Atlanta's own as she went under.

* * *

The team poured over Spencer's apartment for the hundredth time as spencer reviewed the note that was left for him. He had to remind himself to be objective and treat it like any other case though he could admit that his emotions were running high.

The handwriting was female but there wasn't enough to go off of other than that. The writer obviously seemed to be in love with Spencer.

"Anything?" Gideon asked him

"There isn't enough detail, the note is rather short" Spencer said dejectedly

"We'll find her Spencer." Gideon promised putting his hand on Spencer's shoulder

"I'm not worried about that" Spencer admitted "I'm worried about the state we are going to find her in." He stood up and placed the note that was inside an evidence bag on the counter.

He had been profiling everyone that he had run into. Derek and Elle were interviewing neighbors and Garcia was going through security footage and doing background checks on people that were somehow connected to Spencer. His worry was causing him to be bad at the job but no one was saying anything about it. JJ suggested he sit it out for a little but his withering look silenced her and anyone else from voicing the same concern.

None of the team had slept and they had put a case off to find her. They were all tired and Spencer suspected they were coming up on the twenty four hour mark for Atlanta being missing. He knew how critical the first twenty four hours were.

"They dusted for prints Spencer on the note and a couple things that were disturbed." Hotch said walking to him. "Garcia got a clean print from the pen laying on the counter and is running it through the database now. Spencer nodded at Hotch.

"We are doing the best we can" Hotch said to him

"I know.' Spencer assured. He knew the team was doing everything they could.

He marveled at the statistical immobility of something like this happening to him with his line of work.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to answer it. He froze as he saw Atlanta name and number pop up on the phone.

"Hotch, Gideon" He called out and the two agents came over quickly. They saw the screen and Hotch nodded at Spencer to answer it. So he flicked the phone open and hit the button for speaker.

"Atlanta?" he questioned

"No, it's Callie Is she really who you wanted to be calling you?" A female voice came over the phone. Spencer went into profiler mode as he analyzed every word the woman said

"No, I was simply responding to the name that popped up on my phone." He responded.

"Are you happy to hear from me?" She asked and Hotch raised an eyebrow at Spencer

"Of course Callie." Spencer assured her and her giggle over the phone.

"You must have been surprised to come home and find her missing, I am sorry if I caused you panic." She said to him

"I was a little worried for her safety" Spencer said trying to distance himself from Atlanta for Callie's benefit

"You have no need to worry, I am taking care of her. "Callie assured

"Why did you call me from her phone?" Spencer asked

"I didn't have your new number love." She explained

"Why did you take Atlanta?" Spencer asked

"I have put up with your adultery for far too long, now it's time for us to be together." The woman said over the phone.

"I think we can be together now." Spencer said feeding the woman's delusion "But I have to be sure she will be safe. If harm comes to her I'm afraid that we won't be able to move on."

"Oh I can assure you that until you get here she will be safe." Callie promised

"Why don't you tell me where she is Callie?" Spencer suggested "Then I can come to you and be sure that she gets back to her home safely."

"I can't risk you going back to her Spencer." She said over the phone "I can't risk you going back to live in sin. I can't let her go."

"Then why don't you tell me where you are so I can come to you." He pressured again

"That would ruin the romance Spencer." Callie said sounding disappointed. "I have to go now"

"Wait" Spencer said panic creeping into his tone. "Will you call again?"

"Would you like that?" She asked

"Very much" He assured her "Also I would like to talk to Atlanta, but just to appease the minds of my team members as they are starting to ask questions."

"I'll make sure she isn't sleeping." Callie said and then the phone clicked and went dead.

"Delusional Stalker." Hotch nodded and Spencer ran into the next room to get some paper so that he could write down the conversation to study it. Relief that Atlanta was probably alive washed over him and gave him a second wind to find her.


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

Atlanta came to and slowly opened her eyes. She didn't have to think for long about where she was as the terror of her situation hit her. On top of the situation itself the woman, Callie, was sitting to her left just staring at her.

Atlanta came too and just looked around the room instead of making eye contact with the intense woman. She noted several immaculately kept porcelain dolls on the shelves. She had never been creeped out by doll collecting, not that she would ever take it up as a hobby herself. The dolls must have been moved into the room while she was sleeping because they hadn't been there before.

She also noticed that she had been changed into a pair of clean lavender purple scrubs with short sleeves.

"Your dolls are beautiful." She said looking at their dead glass and painted eyes.

"Thank you. I take very good care of them" Callie said "just like I'm taking very good care of you."

"Yes I see that."

She looked at the girl finally and noticed that she was holding Atlanta's phone in her hand. Atlanta shifted up and scooted down into a sitting position. She stretched her neck and limbs the best she could with her restraints. Her back was stiff like it was when you slept for too long and aside for the bump and probably bruise on her head where Callie had hit her she didn't feel too awful.

She continued to look at Callie. The nurturing part of her still felt sorry for the girl who was delusional along with probably a few other diagnosable conditions. She knew from working with the team for her short time that people like this usually had tragic back stories that broke their spirit and molded them to be what they became.

"How old are you?" She asked her

"Twenty six." Callie said hesitantly and Atlanta nodded.

"Where did you meet Spence?" She asked and Callie's eyes widened and Atlanta saw her open up a bit.

"I call him Spencer," She boasted "His mother gave him that name and it seems a shame to shorten it"

"Oh." Atlanta nodded

"We met when Spencer was giving a presentation with his unit. We fell in love right away."

"I can see why he fell in love with you" Atlanta said. Normally it was a bad idea to feed into the delusions of the delusional but when your life was at risk it was a necessary evil. "You are caring and quite beautiful."

"You seemed to have used your beauty to seduce him" Callie quipped and Atlanta wasn't sure how to answer that so she kept quiet.

"I told him that he could talk to you." Callie said and Atlanta's heart leapt.

"That seems very generous of you."

"He doesn't care about you." Callie assured her "His colleagues are just worried and he has to appease them. You mean nothing to him"

"Of course." Atlanta agreed.

The woman flipped open the phone and eyes Atlanta down carefully as she pressed buttons slowly. Atlanta could hardly breathe as she waited for the dial tone to start. Callie handed her the phone as it range and she took it gently.

"He must find us on his own." Callie insisted with such fire in her eyes it scared Atlanta a little.

"Okay." She drawled out

"You mustn't help him, do you understand?"

"Sure." She said and heard the click of the phone picking up. It was late and she wasn't' sure Spence would pick up but she realized with a relived sigh that of course he would.

"Hello?" He asked and she heard the strain in his voice.

"Hey Spence." She said smiling and giving a thumbs up to Callie and also making a zipping signal over her mouth to signal she wouldn't say anything she wasn't supposed to.

"Atlanta" Spencer breathed out over the phone and it sounded as if anxiety that he had pent up for day released over the phone "I didn't know if you were alive."

"Unfortunately for you" She said

"Speaker" Callie mouthed and Atlanta obliged her.

"You're on speaker Spence, Callie is here with me." Atlanta said to warn him against saying anything that would worsen the situation. "She's taking very good care of me. She's moved her beautiful doll collection into the room for me."

"Hi Spencer." Callie said almost shyly

"Hello Callie, how are you this evening?" Spencer asked politely.

Atlanta knew that the team would be listening. If Callie had told Spencer that they would be calling then Penelope would be all over tracking the record of the phone call.

So Atlanta went to work making sure the phone call could last as long as she could get it with as many details that she dared share.

* * *

"Callie was telling me about when you guys first met." Spencer listed to Atlanta over the phone. He didn't think he had ever been so relieved to hear someone's voice before.

"Oh?" Spencer asked Hotch was nodding at him as Garcia contacted the cell companies to find out where the call had been placed from.

"You never told me about the conference and that you were the speaker." Atlanta rambled on and Spencer smiled at her though she wasn't there "The romance is incredible."

"I suppose that it is." Spencer agreed keeping his answers short preferring to listen to Atlanta talk.

"She's awfully beautiful I can understand why you fell in love." Her vice crackled over the phone and Morgan lifted his mouth in a half smile. "The port wine stain only adds to her uniqueness, I can absolutely see what you mean."

"Don't" He heard the other woman shot in the background. Garcia showed him a

"Callie, you still haven't told me your favorite part about Spencer." She verbally prodded her.

"His loyalty." The woman answered without hesitation "a reputation that you have spit on."

"The harlot that I am." Spencer could hear the humor in her voice and hoped that the unsub couldn't. This wasn't a time for casual joking.

Garcia gave him a thumbs up and he heard the tone of a text on his phone as the location of the call was sent to their phones.

"I want to thank you for taking care of Atlanta Callie," Spence said interrupting "it means a lot to me that you listened to me."

"I'll always listen to you Spencer" Callie assured

"I think I know where you are." Spencer assured as he followed the team out to the cars trying to keep his voice even. "Would you like if I came saw you "

"Oh Spencer I've been waiting for two years." She heard her "You haven't given me much time to prepare"

"I could hardly wait to go." He said walking down the hall of the building to the front door.

"I'll have to do the unfortunate business of taking care of our guest." She said. Spencer's heart beat loudly and he was sure everyone would be able to hear. The conversation was on speaker and a panicked look passed though the team.

"Callie if you kill her we won't be able to be together." Spencer's fear rocketed up.

"I can't take the chance of you wanting her again." She said over the phone and she seemed rather sad.

"I promise to you that I won't wont" He assured her as he headed outside. He was running at this point trying to keep his voice even.

"I can hear that you are on your way, I don't want you to have to see this."

Before he could say anything else the phone went dead. He opened the front of he door.

"Drive." He ground out at Morgan.

They were all trying to assure him that it was okay but he could only hear the sound of the siren and his own heart beating rapidly. One thought pulsed through his mind

 _What if I don't make it in time_

"Callie Swept is a twenty-six-year-old patient transporter at the local hospital." Garcia's voice came over the phone in the car

"Makes sense how she was able to get ahold of drugs to subdue her at the house" Morgan noted

"No priors, but she has been written up two times at work for inappropriate behavior toward coworkers" Garcia said "Multiple ER visits when she was a child classic abusive file case"

The car was silent after that.

* * *

She tried to be calm but couldn't stop that shaking of her hands. She took as long as she could putting on the red satin nightgown and satin robe that Callie insisted she put on.

She had watched her get dressed the whole time which gave Atlanta the serious creepy crawlies.

"You are so beautiful." She said as Atlanta folded her scrubs she had been wearing, up.

"Thank you."

"It's a shame that you were created for nothing more than causing man to fall into sin."

"You know, Callie" Atlanta said slipping on the robe that had been provided "You don't have to do this, as soon as you and Spencer are together I'll leave."

"I can't take that chance"

"Callie, I promise you…"

"What does your word mean to me!?" Callie screamed at her. Atlanta jolted from nerves "You just tried to ruin my love with Spencer.

Atlanta looked around the room for something to help her subdue her so she could escape but she saw nothing that would work in her advantage. The fact of the matter was that the woman was at least a head taller than she was and had enough strength to carry her around. Atlanta was a runner and hardly ever did weight training. She made a mental note to get into some self defense classes if she lived through this.

"Stop Dallying. Come around her and lay down on the bed." Callie set a syringe on the nightstand.

Atlanta remembered a cheesy poster in her gym hanging up in the women's bathroom about the best places to hit a person when trying to flee. Her memory failed her on several of the techniques. She looked at the closed door to the bedroom. There was no guarantee that this would work no guarantee that the front door wouldn't be locked but she didn't have another choice.

"Can I pray?" She asked Callie coming around to the side of the bed she was standing on. "I understand that this is how it has to be but I would like to make peace with the Lord before I die."

Callie nodded "I will pray for you too"

"Would you grant me a small amount of privacy?" She asked "Perhaps just turn around?"

Callie seemed sympathetic to her request but she stepped between Atlanta and the syringe of whatever was going to kill her. She turned so she was facing the wall.

Atlanta was scared but she took a breath stepped closer to Callie and used her foot to hit the side of her knee as hard as she possible could. She heard a pop and a scream as Callie crumpled to the floor grabbing her knee which Atlanta hoped that she has dislocated. She reached over the girl as quick as she could and grabbed the syringe on the nightstand. She opened the door to the room as Callie screamed after her.

She blindly flew through the house and navigated to the front door. There was a simple dead bolt and a slide lock. She got one open when she heard Callie coming from behind. She tuned around brandishing the syringe as if it here a broadsword.

"Stay away from me Callie" She said "I don't want to hurt you, but I will"

"You whore!" Callie screamed limping forward on her injured knee "You think you can tear us apart!"

Atlanta heard sirens in the distance and only hoped she was making them up

"Callie, I think you need some serious medical help" She said as she leaned back against the door.

"Jezebel!" The woman screamed, and she shot at Atlanta. She saw the blind rage in the woman's eyes. She wasn't in control of herself as she hurtled toward the door in a panic. Atlanta got out of the way and grabbed a glass purple vase that held some white carnations and smacked it over the back of Callie's head. The woman screamed again and clawed at Atlanta.

There was water and broken glass and white carnations everywhere. Callie reached up and started pulling Atlanta down. There was blood running down the back of her head. Atlanta heard herself scream as she panicked and slammed the syringe into Callie's arm emptying half the syringe. She kicked at her and the Callie fell back as the syringe came out still in Atlanta's hand.

Callie looked up at Atlanta with her mouth gaping open as she stared at the injection site.

"What is in the syringe?" She asked her but Callie just looked up at her with tears in her eyes. Her wet hair clung to her skin and blood trickled down the front of her chest.

"Callie?" She asked the woman who fell back on the floor without another word.

Atlanta set the syringe on the couch and slowly walked around pieces of broken glass. She stared at the woman for awhile scared to walk closer. She was jolted backward as the door was kicked in and half the team swarmed into the apartment with their weapons raised.

Atlanta put her hands up instinctively.

"Atlanta" She heard Spencer shout as he shoved though Hotch, Gideon and Morgan.

"Spence" She said putting her hands down and pulling the satin robe closed

They all surveyed the scene for a minute before Atlanta spurred into action

"She was going to kill me with this. I injected her with half but she went unconscious before I could find out what it was. Is she dead?" She asked and then the adrenaline that she was running on suddenly left her.

She covered her mouth and she was suddenly very tired.

"I..I didn't kill her…did I?" She asked leaning up against the nearest wall.

"Hey Hey Hey" Spencer said coming up to her and sliding his gun back into his holster "it's okay it's over." He pulled her head close to his and kissed her forehead. He slid his hand behind her back and grabbed her hand with his other.

"Oh my god." She said her eyes widening at the girl's body

"Here, let's get you downstairs." He said ushering her to the door. He looked down at the glass on the floor before picking her up in his arms and carrying her through the front door without another look back.


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

"Miss Johnson you really don't have to do this now." Hotch said and Atlanta just smiled looking at her one page of final notes that she wanted to go over. She was actually nervous.

There was another woman agent in the corner who was older with blond hair. Agent Strauss was her name and she gave off a strict and stuffy vibe. It made Atlanta's heart rate increase. She seemed to be the overseer of the BAU.

"Oh no worries." She said waving him off

"We really can do this when you have had a chance to..." He hesitated "Rest"

She smiled at him kindly. She had come to really admire Hotchner. She admired many other members of the team but Hotchner was a strong leader and he cared about the team.

"I'm fine Agent Hotchner"

"Often I say that I'm fine too." He said to her and they made eye contact and she nodded slightly.

Of course Atlanta wasn't alright. She had been kidnapped, held hostage and very nearly died at the hands of a psycho. The last three nights of sleeping in the guest bedrooms of Spencer's apartment she had hardly slept at all. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw Callie's face.

Callie hadn't died. After being rushed to the hospital she had fallen into a coma that she hadn't woken up from. It had brought a small amount of relief to Atlanta that she hadn't killed her though she had no doubt suffered brain damage. Atlanta had also sent a bouquet of flowers to her room at the hospital. She didn't know why she had done that. Humans were such strange creatures; she was not exempt from that.

"Shall we?" She asked he nodded toward her.

Everyone had gone home. It was late and really the only time that Hotch had free time. The team had gone upstate for two days on a murder case and she had told Hotch that when they got back she would go over her consultation notes.

"Your team works so well together it was hard for me to find anything criticizing to say" She chuckled a bit "Not usually the predicament that I run into."

"That's good I suppose"

"Yes, both good and very worrisome as it probably means you are all very well versed in hiding your true feelings"

"I can't deny that" Hot smiled at her"

"Yes, still" She continued "Though your teams works flawlessly there are a few pointers I came up with and none of these are to say you are doing a bad job just things I noticed"

"I am aware what construction criticism is"

"Okay so, the biggest red flag that I've seen is Elle" She said hesitantly people hardly took what she found well

"How so?" He asked calmly not showing at all that he was upset by the news

"She doesn't trust the other members of the team. Her body language distances herself from the rest of you and she has a problem with authority. While this may never cause any problem at all it is a potential for disaster"

Hotch nodded and Atlanta let out a sigh.

"Miss Johnson, I am a profiler, I am not expecting to be shocked by anything that you say and even if I am I certainly wouldn't lash out at you." He eased her mind and she nodded again

"Morgan would be a good candidate for leadership if something was to ever change but his lone gun slinger attitude might have to be…polished. Spencer should be pushed to join the group a little more, he's naturally resistant to cohesion because of how smart he is. "

"Gideon…" She looked up at Hotch who looked at her with an eyebrow raised "He might not be able to take much more of this. "He flinches away from crime scene photos and his emotions are pricked deeply when you lose victims."

Hotch did look a little surprised by that statement

"Gideon has always been a bit more emotional than the rest of us" Hotch explained more to Strauss she thought than to her.

"I'll give you most of my notes and you can go over everything I found as you see fit these are just a few things that were brought to my attention"

"What about agent Hotchner" Strauss asked in a harsh tone from where she sat. Atlanta stood and turned to her. She didn't like the woman and she tried to get over her feeling as she addressed her.

"Agent Hotchner is an excellent team leader. I have included all of my findings within the report." She said with finality and the woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"You could stand to appreciate Penelope more often. Though she doesn't travel with you she works hard and often you all take her for granted." She set her report on the desk in front of her.

"If you have any questions or need more details on anything I would be more than happy to answer them for you." She said grabbing her purse and going to walk out the door.

"It was a pleasure to work with you." Hotch said as she left his office

"The pleasure was mine" She said tipping an invisible hat to him before walking out of his office.

She drove to Spencer's house. It was dark and late and she was beyond tired from not sleeping. When she finally pulled into Spencer's apartment parking lot all she could think of was sleep. Spencer would no doubt be sleeping by now so after scanning the parking lot several times she headed up the stairs and used her key to get inside.

The apartment was dark and quiet and she locked the door behind her. The past couple days she made sure to check that she locked everything at least three times. She saw everyone as a threat and she wondered how long that would take before it went away.

She went to the guest bedroom and changed into a blue short and long-sleeved top pajama set with small white polka dots on it. She brushed her teeth combed her hair into a high ponytail before laying down in the bed and falling into a fitful sleep.

She woke up what seemed like second later in a panic after having a dream that Callie woke up from her coma and was leaning over her in the guest bed. She sat up and the clock on the nightstand told her she had been sleeping for two hours. She threw the covers off, put on her glasses and marched out of the room and up to Spencer's door. She opened it quietly and slipped inside his room. She started to the side of the bed where he wasn't sleeping.

She slipped under the sheets and comforter and breathed out feeling much better being next to Spencer.

"Is the bed in the guest bed not adequate?"

"Oh my gosh, Spence" She said breathing out and sitting up "You scared me"

He sat up in the bed and turned the light next to his nightstand on. The light hit his messy hair making a sort of halo out of it. His wrinkled white shirt bunched up at his waistline leaving his stomach exposed and she tried not to stare.

"I was assured that it was a very good mattress." He said again running his hand through his hair to smooth it out of his face. He tucked it behind his ears as he normally did.

"The bed is quite comfortable." She assured him

"Are you too cold?" He asked confusion twisting his handsome face

"I'm perfectly alright Spence" She laughed a little "I just wanted to be here…with you"

"Oh" He answered and his face relaxed a bit "You should have been in here all the time"

"Well why didn't you say something" She laughed again because she felt the same way

"I wanted to give you your space if you wanted it" He shrugged and her eyes drifted to his waistline again.

"For people who have been friends for years our communication isn't excellent" She smiled at him and he bit his lip and nodded in agreement

"How was your meeting with Hotch?" He asked

"It went well except a lady named Strauss was there" She said re situating so that she was facing him. She wanted him to get his sleep but she missed him the last couple days and hadn't gotten a lot of time to talk to him.

Hotch had given him the option to stay home from the last case to make sure she was okay but she had adamantly refused his presence. She didn't want to perceived as a victim and he assured her that the statistics on her being kidnapped again was slim to none. She had told him that wasn't altogether comforting.

"Is she like the team's probation officer?" She asked and Spencer didn't answer only gave her a small smile.

"How are you doing?" he asked and the look on his face took any sarcasm from her that she had

"Alright" She answered honestly "Still a little frightened of being alone and a little afraid of the dark but I have a feeling that goes away eventually"

"Would you ever consider moving to Virginia?" He asked

"What?" She asked slightly shocked at the change in subject

"Would you ever consider moving here, to Virginia, to be closer to me?" He asked and she just stared at him without saying anything

* * *

He wondered if he had said something wrong the way that she was looking at him. Her golden caramel eyes staring at him in bewilderment from behind her glasses made him feel as if he had misspoken. Her hair was pulled back and some of her messy waves spilled out to frame her face.

She was startlingly beautiful in that moment in a way he couldn't explain away.

"I think I would like you to stay." He said going on though he was a little self-conscious "I would like to spend more time with you, romantically" She chuckled at that causing him to blush "I think it would be easier if you lived here, with me"

"Here?" She asked him shock still lacing her tone "In this house"

"I mean only if you're comfortable. We are both gone a lot of the time anyway and I think if we had the same home it might be easier to see you. I'd like to see you"

"Yes you said that" She said and she looked less shocked now as a smile crept over her face.

"You don't have family in California" He pointed out "At least no family worth mentioning" Spencer had always had a distain for Atlanta's parents almost as much as he had for his father.

Her dad had only reached out to her for money after she published her book and she hadn't heard from her mother in years.

"The team would love it if you stayed" He thought aloud and before he could say anything else she moved closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. If his face wasn't flushed before it would certainly be now.

He looked up at her face so close to his own and didn't see any more hesitation or shock in her eyes. He just saw the way that she had always looked at him. He wondered how he hadn't seen it for years. He reached out and pulled her face closer with his thumb on her chin.

"I would love it if you stayed" He whispered to her before kissing her. Her mouth was soft and his face kept bumping into her glasses until she took them off and tossed them to the end of the bed.

"Contacts" She shook her head "Contacts are always the way to go" She shifted so she was sitting on her knees with his legs between her. "Actually you are much cuter blurry"

"Contacts actually deprive your eye of oxygen" Spencer said nodding his head "You can develop little tiny tears in your cornea for over wearing contacts" He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him.

"Wow this was the exact moment to bring that up." She said leaning in closer

"If I'm going to pair off and take part in the human mating cycle I want my mate to be as close to perfect evolution as she could get, I don't want tears in her corneas"

"I hope to god that that is a joke Spencer Reid" She said and he smiled pulling her in to kiss her again.


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

 **These last couple chapters will just be some scenes from Atlanta and Spencer's life. I'm not sure how many there will be but anyways….**

She had gotten home, run herself a bath drank a glass of wine (she was on her second now) and with a sigh of distain she sat down at her computer started working on her book. Isaac was going to have a conniption if she didn't finalize it and send it to the editor. She had even cut her last tour short by two days so that she could come write in peace.

In the quiet of the apartment her words flowed as she tapped her fuzzy sock clad feet against the kitchen floor. She bought a mini bunt cake which she planned on eating for dinner. The contents of the fridge had been exactly what she expected.

Whenever she went out of town Spencer's culinary choices plummeted. There was a container of milk and a few odds and end that wouldn't make anyone a proper meal. Granted her didn't spend much time here either so there was no point in keeping the fridge stocked.

She sipped her wine and took a pause to crack her knuckles biting the inside of her lip as if that would help her wrap up the last chapter. Isaac had the cover and the dust jacket blurb all written up and was now berating her to finish. His wild eyed gaze and shockingly black hair came to her mind causing her to chuckle.

She heard the front door open and close and was on her feet faster than her fuzzy socks would take her. She bolted to the living room to See Spencer setting is bag down. She ran at him and he looked up with just enough time to catch her and pull her into a hug. It had been over a month since she had been home.

It was true that she cut her trip short because she needed to write but also because she had missed him. His embrace felt wonderful and she sighed into his neck.

Atlanta was unsure how life could get much better. She had lived with Spencer for almost two years and they weaved in and out of each other's lives as seamlessly as she had imagined they would. The longer she spent with him the less she wanted to be without him. Five weeks had been torture. Though he wasn't often home it was just nice to be in the space that they shared.

When he pulled away from her she pulled his head back to kiss him. She kissed him for five weeks of kissing him that she had missed. His long hair brushing against her face and getting in the way. He ended up running his finger though it to push it back and away from his face as he looked down at her.

"I wasn't expecting you until Saturdays." He said not letting her go from where she was pressed against him.

"I wasn't expecting you at all." She said pulling him down for another kiss.

"I would have stocked the fridge had I known." He said looking slightly disappointed in himself.

"I got a Bundt cake" She said and his nose wrinkled at her.

"For dinner?"

"It's a lemon bunt cake so there has to be some nutritional value form he lemons"

He looked down at her deciding whether or not to .disclose the fact that cake was not a proper source of nutrition. The grin that was quickly spreading across her face caused him to only shake his head.

A need to be close to him over took her as she stared at him and she backed up slowly dragging him with her. He said nothing but went along continuing regular conversation as if there were a normal occurrence.

"How's the book coming along?" He asked and she shook her head. Deciding the bedroom was too far to go she pushed him down onto a couch and climbed on top of him.

"I'm almost done" She said enjoying the taste of his mouth and the way his hands moved up her back

"Weren't you supposed to have it in last month?" he asked pushing his hand under her t-shirt.

"Not now." She growled kissing his neck.

"Statistics show a very large increase in the amount of procrastination over the years it has jumped by nearly 30% in the past twenty five years"

"Fascinating" She said trying to get his button up untucked from his jeans.

"Also a profiler may suggest that you are procrastinating so that you can intentionally avoid doing something that you are afraid of."

She stopped and sat up pursing her lips together.

"Do you see what I'm trying to do?" She asked irritation flooding her tone

"Believe me when I say that it hasn't escaped my attention." He smiled back at her

"Well then why are you interrupting me with facts about being lazy?"

"Being lazy and procrastination aren't the same thing" He pointed out to her and she rolled her eyes.

When she and Spencer first started 'dating' the physical touch thing had been a boundary that each of them found hard to break. They had been friends for so long that there was a sort of catch between them. It had taken a couple months for them to break out of the friend zone but now they had no problems with it.

She undid the button of his jeans and reached for the zipper. He put his hands over hers.

"There is nothing I would like better than to let you finish what you started." He said pulling her down to kiss her forehead. "But you don't have dinner, and you need to work on your book that I so clearly interrupted."

"Neither of those seem very pressing currently" She grumbled but the finality and logic of his statement was hard to ignore.

"I'll go get us some food, you work on your book and when I come back we will eat and I can show you how I missed you." He put both of his hands in her hair and she looked away from him not wanting him to see that he's won. "Because I did miss you Lanta"

"Buzzkill." She accused as she untangled herself from him and stood up.

"He kissed her head reputedly as her buttoned his pants back up and tucked his shirt back in. She walked him to the door.

"What do you feel like?" He asked grabbing his bag

"Mediterranean?" She asked hopefully He grinned nodding. Their favorite place was only five miles away and he knew her order by heart.

"I'll be right back." He said kissing her head one more time He went to step out the door when he looked back at her and tilted his head. "You're not going to not work on your book just to be contrary are you?"

"Spencer!" She said holding her hand to her heart "I am shocked that you would think that of me"

He left but shaking his head. She locked the door behind him and double checked it.

She was planning on working on her book but she thought perhaps she would get more presentable that pink fuzzy socks polka dot pajama bottoms and torn comfy t-shirt.

She put on a white strappy nightgown that went just above her knees she threw on one of spencer's grey cardigans. She twisted her hair up into a ponytail and put on a minimal amount of mascara on. She spritzed herself with some woody floral perfume and skipped back out to the computer. She kept her fuzzy socks on which kind of ruined the ensemble but Spencer's apartment was habitually cold.

She sat at her computer and typed away sipping on the rest of her wine while she waited for her love to come back with warm wonderful food. She could practically smell the spices and her mouth watered. She admitted to herself that it sounded better than her lemon Bundt cake; though it would make a great dessert.

Spencer's year had been a bit crazy. Gideon leaving and his note to Spencer that had troubled him for a long time. Penelope being attacked and ending up in the hospital and Strauss just being her uncharming self. On top of Spencer going through his Dilaudid addiction. It had been a hard road but he was recovering well enough. He had dark days and called Atlanta in the middle of the night sometimes but he was going to meeting and was even sponsoring a young woman struggling with addiction.

She sighed leaning back in the chair thinking of everything they had been through in the past two and a half years.

The scare when Spencer had been kidnapped had almost killed her. When Hotch called to let her know she had been a crying nervous wreck and spent the entire night in her hotel room texting with Penelope, JJ and Emily.

She loved him now though more than she ever had and the trials had been hard but hey had learned a lot about each other. She finally had a family and he had someone to come home and talk about the monsters with. She was there to ease his night mares and he was there to be in her dreams.

She wrote until she heard the door open again. Isaac would be pleased and she could probably send him the draft tomorrow for the editor to look over. She turned the laptop of and moved it to the high counter preparing the kitchen for a feast.

She pushed Spencer's cardigan sleeves up and smiled at him when he walked in the kitchen. He smiled but then avoided her gaze. He shifted around her nervously as she made comments about how good the food smelled. His hands were shaking slightly and he wouldn't look up at her. She wondered if it was the last case that was making him edgy but he hadn't been this way before he left.

She pulled her Phyllo pie out of the bags eyeing him with a raised eyebrow. She turned to the fridge to pull out the bottle of white wine. When she turned around she nearly dropped it.

Spencer was there, right behind her on his knee with a black box in his hands. Her chest burned and her pulse quickened. Her mouth became very dry suddenly and she opened her mouth in surprise.

"I had a much nicer plan but you came home early." He explained but she said nothing as her mouth felt like sand and she was still in shock "Morgan and Hotch helped...but anyway, when I saw you I couldn't stand waiting." He flipped the lid of the box open to reveal a simple square cut emerald set in a gold band.

"Would you marry me Atlanta?" He asked his eyes looked up at her and his mouth quirked into a hopeful smile. "I can't think of anyone I would rather commit to sharing germs with for a lifetime"

She searched her brain for a quip about how germs weren't romantic but the truth was is that she thought it was romantic as heck. She didn't think her chest would be able to handle her hear beating any faster as she looked down at him.

"Yeah." She said nodding and smiling "of course I will Spencer, of course the answer is yes"

A grin split his face as he took her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Don't think this means I'm sharing my Bundt cake with you." She warned and he smiled standing up and pulling her into a kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

 **So sorry it's been a little bit.**

She had woken up early to just sit in her reading chair in Spencer's apartment and stare at her dress.

It was a simple thing really; a champagne silk V-neck gown with small pearl shank buttons all the way down the back of the dress. Her T-strap gold wedding heels sat alongside the double strand of pearls from Diane and a pair of teardrop gold and pearl earrings from JJ. The necklace was something old as it had been Diane's mothers before hers. The dress was something new. The earrings from JJ would be something borrowed but she still didn't have something blue.

Mostly Penelope and Emily were insisting on the silly tradition. Atlanta didn't believe in the nonsense but it was cute and didn't harm anyone.

She sipped her coffee in silence.

Spencer had stayed out late and stayed in a hotel room with the guys. The girls had insisted that she come stay with them in a hotel as well but she had kindly rejected the offer. She wanted to sleep in her bed and wake up and have a little time to herself.

They had postponed the wedding once due to Atlanta's new book tour and once when Haley had passed away. Both she and Spencer didn't think it was appropriate to have a wedding three days after Haley had died despite Hotch's insisting it was fine.

Thinking of Hotch made her think of Jack who would be their ring bearer. She smiled as she saw his wide childlike grin in her memory and thought of how handsome he would look all dressed up. She squeezed her coffee cup tighter.

Staying with Spencer had been the best decision she thought she had ever made.

She felt like she had family now. Hotch and Jack, Emily, Morgan, Penelope, Rossi and JJ, will and Henry. She loved them all and felt like she finally belonged somewhere.

Both she and Spencer missed Gideon. He had regretfully declined their wedding invitation and she thought that it bothered Spencer though he would never say.

It felt as though she had waited a lifetime to be married to Spencer and today was finally the day.

There was a knock at the apartment door. She took a deep breath and relished the silence for one moment more. She set her coffee down and moved to open the door.

"The beautiful blushing bride!" Penelope exclaimed as soon as the door was open. Atlanta smiled at the boisterous and charming woman opening the door wide so she could come in. JJ and Emily were behind her smiling not as enthusiastically, but Penelope was often more enthusiastic than anyone.

"I brought makeup and hair tools and music and silk robes!" Penelope said starting even then to set up her things.

"We brought…" JJ trailed of holding up a grocery bag

"Alcohol" Emily said reaching in and pulling out a bottle of champagne.

"God bless you." Atlanta said nodding her head at them.

* * *

The girls had gotten to pick whatever style of eggplant cocktail dress they wanted for their bridesmaid's dress.

Penelope had a 1950s boat neck dress with matching petti skirt and elaborate hair flower. JJ had chosen a strapless A-line dress with a flow-ey chiffon skirt and wore her hair in long loose curls. Emily chose a form fitting purple velvet dress that looked amazing with her dark features and hair.

Atlanta had invited one of her friends from out of state Sammie but she had been too close to her due date with her first aby to attend. It was just the three of them and Atlanta couldn't have been happier.

"You guys look absolutely stunning." She said to all of them as Emily put a pair of gold earrings in her ears.

"It's not about us!' Penelope insisted as she ushered Atlanta in front of a mirror so she could see her handiwork. Atlanta worried she would regret her decision to cut her dark waves into a short bob right before the wedding. Without the weight her hair had turned a little more curly than wavy and it was often hard to control.

Though Penelope had somehow made it look perfectly curled in just the right way. There was a crown of braided hair wrapped around and a comb of dark purple paper-ey peonies and greenery secured in the back.

"Girl, I don't know how you made me look like this…" Atlanta stared looking at her soft makeup and simple back liner. Her lips had a shimmery young pink lipstick on them. She felt like she could be in a bridal magazine.

"I only amplified said beauty that was already there" Penelope said graciously.

"We have ten minutes before we have to go" Emily called to them

"Better get you in that dress." Penelope said shooing her out as quickly as she had shooed her in.

Atlanta took the last drink of champagne out of her glass and walked over to where JJ was holding her dress ready for her.

Dress shoes and jewelry later she was wrapped up in a light burgundy shawl that Penelope had brought for her and was whisked out into a car and was on her way to Union Station where the ceremony and reception would be held.

* * *

The girls talked around her as she got wedding day jitters that were only trumped by the surreal feeling that she would be Misses Atlanta Reid at the end of this all. The streets passed and she measured her breathing.

They finally made it to the front of union station and Emily was on the phone with Morgan to make sure that everything was in place.

"Morgan!" Penelope yelled in the car "Bring that thing!"

"That thing?" Atlanta asked "What have you planned Penelope Garcia?" She asked but of course the girl only winked in response.

She got out of the car and waited in the front of the large building for Emily to tell her it was time to be ready.

Morgan came out looking as handsome as ever. She thought Morgan probably looked handsome in anything that he wore. He was carrying her bouquet as well at the girls'. It was the same greenery as in her hair with white peonies.

"Well don't you look handsome" She said as he approached.

"Not too shabby yourself beautiful." He said winking as each girl took their flower arrangement.

"Aaand" he started pulling something out of his jacket pocket. "For your something blue."

"Oh it's not that big a deal" She sighed and looked at Penelope.

"I simply told Derek about it in passing conversation and he took it upon himself to fix the situation." Penelope said innocently.

Atlanta rolled her eyes at the pair that were thick as thieves.

"Baby girl is right" Morgan said and he slipped a small and delicate ring out of a pouch. He took Atlanta's hand and slipped the small ring on to her pinky finger on her right hand. It was a small dainty thing with five tiny pale blue stones arranged along the band like a constellation.

"It's beautiful Morgan." She said. She wasn't sure why she called some of the team by their last names and some by their first. It was just whatever she thought suited them best.

"Can't have any bad Juju at one of my favorite girl's wedding, not when you are marring my little bro.' He said and placed a small kiss on her hand. "Would you allow me to escort you in?"

"Alright Casanova, My husband is right beyond that door somewhere" she said but linked her arm in hers.

"I know better to think that I could compete with him." We winked

"No one can" Atlanta admitted.

* * *

She had walked down the aisle with Hotch on her arm who had gallantly offered to walk her. She invited her father but had never heard anything back. It was no great loss and she was only mildly disappointed.

She had seen the anxiety and excitement in Spencer's eyes and that is when everything else in the beautiful building washed away completely.

He was standing there in his tuxedo and his purple flower pinned to his lapel. His hair still looked messy but in an on purpose way like someone had made him check it before he left. It was really the way that he looked at her when she had come down the aisle that made her certain that this would be the rest of forever kind of thing.

"I promise to always try to love you better than the day before. As we are beings who must perpetually learn I promise to always search for new ways to love you better" Spencer finished up his vows and Atlanta tried not to cry as her makeup was perfect.

"Atlanta" Rossi said as he was officiating over the wedding. Their friends and family surrounded them in support.

"Spencer" She started "I will never be as smart not will my mind ever be as quick as yours. I do however promise to love you as you are as you have always loved me as I am. I promise to listen to your genius jokes and I promise to cook for you when I'm home. I cannot promise to be good at loving you all of the time but if you'll have my whole hearted attempt at being your best friend and wife I will always be by your side."

It was the kiss that would tie them together at the end that she was waiting for and Spencer did not disappoint.

They laughed and ate and drank and danced for hours. She took her high heels off and they drank and laughed and danced some more. She was absolutely dead tired when the festivities came to an end.

Everyone wished them well as they headed out to Spencer's new car that he had purchased just six months before.

* * *

They didn't have anything fancy planned.

They went home and enjoyed the bottle of wine that Rossi had sent them home with. Atlanta listened to Spencer read some of her favorite poetry and excerpts from novels. They stayed up into the early hours of the morning talking to each other and laughing about the festivities of the day before. They kissed often and laid together enjoying the bubbly haze of the newlywed feeling.

They were wrapped up in sheets with Atlanta's head lying on Spencer chest as he read from Edgar Allen Poe's works. The rhythm of his voice almost putting her to sleep. She looked over to the clock at the corner of the room and saw that it said it was nearly five in the morning. She shut her eyes against the warmth of his skin and him absently stroking her hair as he read.

Then his phone rang. It was the tone that signaled work.

Atlanta wasn't upset. It was the happiest time of her life and she loved that Spencer was a real life hero. She was married to superman.

"Answer it beloved, I'll make us some coffee."

"I don't have to" He protested

"You do have to" She said lazily lifting up to kiss him softly on is lips. "Someone needs you and they are more desperate than I. Your team needs you and I won't be selfish and keep you"

He looked relived as she walked out of the room wrapping the silk robe from the day before around her.

He answered the phone and forty minutes later he was standing in front of her looking a little sad. She put a travel mug in his hand with his second cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin and banana into his hand for breakfast.

"Go save the day Doctor Reid" She said reaching up on her toes to kiss him once more before he left.

"I'll be home soon Mrs. Reid"

She really liked the sound of that.


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Criminal Minds**

 **Sorry it's been so long! ahowell1993 especially for you!**

"Spence, It is making me very nervous that you are surprising me" Atlanta said shaking her head from her passenger seat. Her eyes had been blindfolded and they had been driving for close to an hour it felt like.

"Why?" He asked a little humor in his voice

"Well first, you hate surprises" She said "So it's extremely out of character."

"Second of all?" He asked. It was a running joke between them. There was no second of all with Atlanta, there was only ever a first of all.

"It's our anniversary I wanted to do something special."

"Remember when we agreed to take it easy on the gifts?" She asked turning to look at him instinctively but could see nothing per the blindfold.

"That particular rule was more of a guideline and it was only put in place by you because you are a much better gift giver than I am"

"We agreed Spencer" She said firmly

"Yes, well it was mostly just you talking and me agreeing" He said and she could hear that he was smiling but she quirked her mouth irritated anyway.

"Well, I got you a small gift and I'm not even going to feel bad because we decided"

"Feel free to have a spotless conscious on the matter"

"Pain in my ass" She muttered under her breath "Can you at least give me hint?"

"5916"

"Great" She rolled her eyes "Very helpful"

"If you thought about it that hint would be a very telling hint" He said matter of factly "Two-year anniversary traditionally is celebrated with a gift of cotton"

"Is that another hint? She asked "or are you just trying to distract me with useless information"

"Did you know that some Anniversary themes date back to the middle ages?"

"Hm" She said settling into her seat "What significance does cotton have?" It was sometimes easier to go along with his musings. She found herself more often interested in what he was saying, if only because he found it interesting.

"The meaning for cotton is much newer but people take it to symbolize adaptability and strength"

"Interesting" She said "Are you taking me to a cotton factory built in 1956?"

"Clever but not correct"

"That should be my life motto" She said putting her hand on the center consul and he reached his hand out to hold her instinctively.

"I hope it's not a cotton factory because I have some very pretty lingerie on for some suggestive activities later." He squeezed her hand once tightly. "It feels like more than two years of time has passed since we have been married" she mused "Yet at the very same time it seems like no time at all"

"A very confusing statement" Spencer said as the car came to a stop

"Oh, thank God" Atlanta said "Can I take the blindfold off?"

"Almost" He said and she heard him get out of the car as she waited for him. He opened her door and helped her out of the car. He led her forward a couple of paces.

He removed her blindfold with almost no warning. The thing about Spencer was that he never did anything half way. It had been a very good blindfold job so she blinded for a few seconds as her eyes adjusted to the light.

She looked up to see a brick front Cape cod house with three steps right in front of her leading to a walkway, five more steps leading up to a porch and a deep blue front door. There were house numbers next to the door that read '5916'.

"Wow this is pretty" She mused looking at the blooming myrtle on either side of the walkway. "where are we?"

"Bethesda" Spencer said

"Oh! I love Bethesda" She smiled at him looking back to the house "Who lives here?"

"We will" He said turning away from her "If you like it"

"What?" She asked a little stunned and then she felt slightly stupid for not figuring it out sooner.

"Well I've been asking about kids and you said that you didn't want to raise kids in the apartment." He still wasn't looking at her which she had come to realize meant that he cared a lot about what he was saying. "So, I got us a house in Bethesda because…" He shrugged self-consciously "you love Bethesda and its only as thirty-minute drive to work for me"

She was silent for a moment just looking over at him as his body language turned away from her and into himself. He had a lot of thought into this and she could tell that he was worried she wouldn't like it.

"Well" She said and he turned to her

"If you don't like it…" he started and she pulled him down to her kissing him. Kissing his cheeks and his forehead and his mouth repeatedly.

"Of course, I like it Spencer It's beautiful."

"You've only seen the outside; how can you be sure?" He asked

"Well your outside is pretty nice." She said stepping back and winking at him.

He fumbled in his pocket for a bit before producing a key to the house. She pulled it from him and took each step two at a time until she got to the door. He followed at a regular pace. She was in the house and smiling at the soft sunshine yellow paint that welcomed you into the front room.

The door opened directly to a staircase that took you to the second level. On either side was a room. One was a front living room which was bright on account of the paint and the other was a dining room that was attached to the kitchen. The person that had lived there before had a flare for color as each room was a nice but very different shade.

She didn't wait for him and she looked around. The kitchen was narrow but had beautiful wood cabinets with a deep stain and beautiful white granite counter tops with gold and black veins running through. Though the bedrooms upstairs and the basement bonus room beneath were lovely she was drawn, finally, to the backyard.

It was spacious with grass and a paved patio. Flower beds lined it and she imagined bringing her laptop and a cup of coffee out here to write and read and think. For the first time she imagined mini little Spencers running around playing on the lush grass. She smiled at the magnolia blossoms growing in the corner of the yard before heading back inside to find her husband.

They had been talking about having kids and even had been trying to get pregnant but Atlanta had reservations about their current living situation. She knew how much effort it would have taken Spencer to think of moving to a new place for her. Atlanta had also been afraid to have children with what Spencer did for a living. The team was always in danger. She had come to terms with the fact that losing him was a very real possibility. The thought of raising a child or children without him seemed unbearable. She had an equal desire to be a mother and protect herself from future pain.

He was still standing on the front porch and when she came back into view, he looked up shyly. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and they were silent for a moment as they embraced. She reached up and kissed his freshly shaved face.

"I love you Doctor Spencer Reid."

"Do you like it?" He paused looking into her eyes so she couldn't hide from him.

"It is absolutely the most perfect thing I have ever seen." She watched as a weight lifted off of him "I wouldn't change a thing"

He kissed her then. It was a relief kiss. No matter how long they were together his lips meeting hers never got old or tiresome.

They had gone to dinner and gone home where there were a dozen roses and a bottle of nice wine waiting outside the apartment for them from Spencer's team. They had all signed a card and Atlanta smiled over it before putting it on the counter.

"I am interested in bit of information you gave me earlier" Spencer said coming up behind her as he started working her jersey dress up over her head. She colored a little bit still slightly bashful around him. She wondered at herself why she would be shy.

It was the way that he looked at her. Like it was the first time he had ever seen her.

"Very forward of you." She said turning to him as his eyes skimmed her body. She watched him hesitate. She always had to explain what she said because he overthought everything.

"Come here doctor" She said pulling him to the room by one of his hands and sitting him down on the bed unbuttoning his shirt. "That dinner was delicious; the house is amazing and you have to be the most handsome thing I have ever seen."

"It could be what people refer to as 'beer goggles'" He noted "Perhaps I seem more attractive to you due to the two gin and tonics you consumed at dinner"

"Well you didn't consume any alcohol Doc." She leaned in and her voice dropped low "How am I looking?"

He answered by reaching up and weaving his hands into her shoulder length waves pulling her closer. She unbuttoned his shirt slipping it off his shoulders. She kissed his collar bone and bit it lightly.

He was all angles. Spencer was the sharp to her soft. He was all skin stretched over bones hard lines and awkward limbs. His hair was grown out long and she had to admit she rather liked being able to run her fingers through it.

He fingered the lace trim of her dark hunter green bra. He kissed the border of it and slid the straps off her shoulders.

"I love you Atlanta." He said against her skin.

His word of affection were few and always genuine. Spence never said he loved simply because and never said anything simply to fill a silence. This made everything he said mean more. Atlanta treasured the words and rolled them around in her mouth tasting their sweet promise before pushing him all the way down on the bed.

"And I love you" She promised back.

Maybe it was the time they spent apart with work and travel or perhaps it was a certain kind of magic they carried but sleeping with Spencer was always a rush of excitement and passion. She kept waiting for things to get dull but things had not gotten monotonous.

Perhaps it was their personalities she had mused on multiple occasions. The soft and hard. The awkward and the comfortable. The care and the rush. The sturdy and reliable rocks of a harsh cliff and the stubborn flighty ocean meeting together with a raucous crash of familiarity and abandon.

His favorite line "Let me show you I missed you" were said like a caress over her frame as she smiled into his kind face.

As far as Atlanta was concerned, her life was perfect.


End file.
